What happens if my ball hits an animal?

No penalty — play the ball where it comes to rest. If your ball in motion accidentally hits an animal (or person, equipment, anything), you accept the result, good or bad, and play from there (Rule 11.1).

The basic rule: accidental contact

When your moving ball strikes an animal — a bird, a squirrel, a dog, a deer — it's treated exactly the same as hitting a person, a rake, or a sprinkler head. There's no penalty to anyone. You don't get to replay the shot. You don't get to drop. You simply play the ball from wherever it ends up, even if that's in a terrible spot or, by luck, on the green. This applies anywhere on the course: fairway, rough, penalty area, bunker, putting green. It applies after any stroke — drive, approach, chip, putt — and even if the ball is moving for another reason (like rolling after you addressed it). The only time Rule 11 doesn't apply is when you've just dropped a ball in a relief area and it hasn't come to rest yet; that's covered by Rule 14.3 instead.

What counts as "accidental"

Accidental means you didn't try to influence where the ball would go. You didn't put your bag there to stop it. You didn't wave your hat to shoo a bird into its path. You didn't ask a spectator to catch it. If the contact just happened — the ball was flying, the animal was there, they met — it's accidental. The Rules don't care whether the outcome helped you or hurt you. You take the lie you get.

When it becomes a penalty

If you deliberately do something to affect a ball in motion — yours or anyone else's — you get the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play). That includes intentionally positioning equipment, placing an object, or moving an animal to deflect or stop the ball. It also covers asking someone else to do it. The penalty applies even if the ball doesn't actually hit the thing you positioned; the attempt is enough.

Exceptions that change the answer

• Ball dropped in a relief area and not yet at rest → Rule 14.3 applies instead — if it hits an animal before coming to rest, you re-drop.

Frequently asked questions

My ball hit a bird in mid-air and dropped straight down. Do I play it from there?

Yes. Accidental contact with an animal means no penalty and no re-play. Play the ball from where it comes to rest (Rule 11.1a).

A dog ran onto the fairway and picked up my ball. What now?

The ball was moved by an outside influence. Replace it on the original spot (or estimate it) with no penalty (Rule 9.6). If you can't find it, use Rule 18.2 for a lost ball.

Can I shoo a goose away before I hit so it doesn't deflect my ball?

Yes, you can shoo animals before you stroke. But once the ball is in motion, you must not deliberately influence it — no waving, throwing, or positioning anything to affect where it goes (Rule 11.2).

My putt hit a worm on the green and stopped short. Replay?

No replay. A worm is an animal. Accidental deflection on the putting green is still Rule 11.1 — play it from where it stops, no penalty.

What if I accidentally hit my own ball with a practice swing and it hits a squirrel?

The practice swing wasn't a stroke, so the ball wasn't "in play" and moving after a stroke. You replace the ball with no penalty (Rule 9.4b). The squirrel contact is irrelevant.