Double Hit in Golf: What Is It and What's the Penalty?

What is a double hit?

A double hit happens when the clubhead strikes the ball twice in a single stroke — usually on a chip or bunker shot where the club catches up with the ball and makes contact a second time. It can also happen on a fluffed pitch where you hit the ground first and then the ball deflects back into the club.

Double hits were historically controversial because they were difficult to call in the moment and the player had to self-report something that wasn't always obvious to anyone else.

The rule since 2019 (no penalty)

Under the current Rules of Golf (Rule 10.1a), hitting the ball more than once in a single stroke is not a penalty. The shot counts as one stroke regardless of how many times the club made contact.

Before 2019, a double hit resulted in a one-stroke penalty under the old rules. The R&A and USGA removed this penalty in the 2019 revision to simplify the game and because double hits are almost always accidental and the player has already suffered enough from the poor shot.

So: one stroke, no extra penalty. Count it and move on.

When does it actually happen?

The most common situations:

Chip or pitch from tight lie: You come in too steeply, the club digs into the ground, and the ball pops up and hits the clubface on the way up.

Bunker shot: You take a full swing in a greenside bunker and the ball doesn't clear the lip — on the way back down, the clubhead makes contact again.

Putt on a very slow green: Extremely rare, but can happen if you swing the putter aggressively on a very slow surface and the ball hasn't moved far enough when the club follows through.

Long grass around the green: The club catches the grass first, slows down, and ends up hitting the ball at very low speed, then making contact again.

Do you have to declare it?

There's no rule requiring you to announce a double hit. However, in a competition you should tell your marker or playing partners if you're unsure whether it happened or if it might affect the score. In stroke play, your marker must certify your scorecard. In match play, if your opponent questions what happened, be honest.

Given there's no penalty, there's no strategic reason to hide it — and the integrity of the game applies regardless.

What about the ball's position?

You play the ball from wherever it comes to rest after the stroke — wherever the double (or multiple) contact left it. You don't replay the shot unless the result sends the ball somewhere that would normally require a replay under a different rule.

Frequently asked questions

Is it still a double hit if I don't feel it? Yes, if two contacts occurred it's technically a double hit under the rules, even if you didn't notice. But with no penalty, it only matters for understanding what happened, not for scoring.

What if it happens on a putt — does it still count as one stroke? Yes. One stroke, regardless of how many contacts. If you tap a short putt and the ball bounces back and hits your putter, that's still one stroke.

Was there ever a famous double hit ruling? TJ Vogel's double hit at the 2019 Masters Par-3 Contest got attention because it happened on TV. Under the old rules it would have cost a stroke; under the new rules (which had just taken effect that year) it was just one shot.

What if I intentionally hit the ball twice? The rules only apply to accidental double hits in a natural stroke. If you deliberately strike the ball again after it's come to rest, that's a separate stroke under Rule 10.1, not a double hit.