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Rule 10.1

Stroke

Also searched as: air shot, whiff, missed ball, swing, counting strokes

The forward movement of the club made to strike the ball. Whether you actually hit it does not matter.

Your score on a hole is the number of strokes you made plus any penalty strokes. Penalty strokes are added to your score, but they are not strokes themselves.

You must fairly strike the ball with the head of the club. The club may touch the ball only momentarily. Pushing, scraping or scooping the ball is not allowed, and neither is anchoring the club against your body during the stroke. The penalty is the general penalty.

Until 2018 a double hit cost an extra penalty stroke. Since 2019 it counts as one stroke only.

Step by step

  1. 1Ball missed. If you meant to hit it, the stroke still counts.
  2. 2Downswing stopped. Not a stroke if you deliberately stop before the ball, or deliberately miss it because you decided not to hit.
  3. 3Hit during a practice swing. Not a stroke. If the ball moved, the rules for a moved ball apply.
  4. 4Ball hit twice. Counts as one stroke, with no penalty, see double hit.