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

No penalty. If your club hits the ball more than once during a single stroke, the stroke counts as one and you play the ball where it lies (Rule 10.1a). The old one-stroke penalty was removed in 2019 because double hits are almost always accidental and the poor shot is punishment enough.

What is a double hit?

A double hit happens when the clubhead strikes the ball twice in one stroke — most often on a chip or bunker shot where the club catches up with the ball on the follow-through. You'll usually hear a dull, muffled sound at impact and see the ball travel on an unexpected line or drop well short.

The rule since 2019 (no penalty)

Under Rule 10.1a, hitting the ball more than once in a single stroke carries no penalty. The shot counts as one stroke regardless of how many contacts occurred.

Before 2019, a double hit cost a one-stroke penalty. The R&A and USGA removed it in the 2019 revision — part of the simplification that cut the rulebook from 34 rules to 24 — because double hits are accidental and the player has already suffered from the bad shot.

When does it actually happen?

Chip or pitch from a tight lie: Steep angle of attack launches the ball vertically into the club's follow-through path.

Bunker shot: The ball clips the lip, deflects back down, and meets the clubhead completing its arc.

Heavy rough around the green: Grass slows the ball while the club keeps moving through.

Putt on a very slow green: Rare, but possible with an aggressive stroke on a dead surface.

Why the club catches the ball a second time

Every double hit involves the same mechanical mismatch: the ball decelerates faster than the clubhead. On a tight-lie chip, the ball pops up into the follow-through. In a bunker, the lip deflects it back. In heavy rough, grass robs the ball of speed. The result is always two contacts in what legally counts as one stroke.

The 2019 change acknowledged the truth: a double hit is never an advantage. You've already hit a poor shot; the old penalty just kicked you while you were down.

Do you have to declare it?

No rule requires you to announce a double hit. In competition, tell your marker or playing partners if you're unsure or if it might affect the score. In stroke play your marker certifies the card; in match play, be honest if your opponent asks. With no penalty, there's no strategic reason to hide it.

What about the ball's position?

Play the ball from wherever it comes to rest after the stroke. You don't replay the shot unless the result sends it somewhere that would normally require a replay under a different rule.

FAQ

Is it still a double hit if I don't feel it?

Yes. If two contacts occurred, it's technically a double hit under Rule 10.1a even if you didn't notice. 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 into your putter, that's still one stroke under Rule 10.1a.

Was there ever a famous double hit ruling?

TJ Vogel's double hit at the 2019 Masters Par-3 Contest aired on TV. Under the old rules it would have cost a stroke; under the new rules (effective that year) it was just one shot.

What if I intentionally hit the ball twice?

The rule only covers 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.

Is a double hit related to an air shot?

Not quite — both are stroke-counting edge cases. An air shot (whiff) in golf counts as a stroke even though the ball didn't move; a double hit counts as one stroke even though the club contacted twice. Both rules remove ambiguity and keep the game moving.