a) General
Playing from the wrong place: A player has played from the wrong place if he plays a stroke after his ball in play:
(I) from a part of the court from which the rules prohibit playing a stroke or where a ball may not be dropped or laid down; or
(II) if the rules require a dropped ball to be dropped again or a moved ball to be put back.
Note: Ball played from off the tee or off the wrong tee - see Rule 11-4.
b) Hole play
If a player hits a shot from the wrong place, he loses the hole.
c) Counting game
If a competitor hits a shot from the wrong place, he incurs a penalty of two strokes in accordance with the applicable rule. He must finish the hole with the ball played from the wrong place without correcting his mistake, provided he has not committed a serious offense (see note 1).
If, after playing from the wrong place, a competitor becomes aware of this fact and assumes it may be a serious breach, he must, before taking a shot on the next tee tee, finish the hole with a second ball played in accordance with the rules. If the hole played is the last hole of the round, he must declare his intention to finish the hole with a second ball played in accordance with the rules before leaving the green. If the competitor has played a second ball, he must report the fact to the match director before submitting his scorecard; if he fails to do so, he is disqualified. The match management must determine whether the contestant has committed a serious breach of the applicable rule. If this is the case, the stroke count with the second ball applies and the applicant must add two penalty strokes to his stroke count with the second ball. If the competitor has committed a serious infringement and has not rectified it as stated above, he is disqualified.
Note 1: A competitor has committed a serious breach of the applicable rule if the referee considers that he has gained a significant advantage by playing from the wrong place.
Note 2: If a contestant plays a second ball under Rule 20-7c and it is decided that it does not count, strokes with that ball and penalty strokes incurred only when playing that ball are disregarded. If it is decided that the second ball counts, the stroke from the wrong place and subsequent strokes with the original ball, including penalty strokes incurred only when playing the original ball, are disregarded.
Note 3: If a player incurs a penalty for playing a stroke from the wrong place, no additional penalty is incurred for the unauthorized substitution of a ball.
Status: 2018