What happens if your ball moves while addressing it?

The situation

You ground your club behind the ball, take your stance, and the ball rolls a few inches away from you. Or you tap the ground with the club and the ball wobbles off the tee.

The rule

Under Rule 9.4b, if you cause the ball to move while addressing it, the penalty is 1 stroke and you must replace the ball at its original spot before playing. However — and this is important — if you can clearly identify that natural forces (wind, gravity on a slope) caused the movement, Rule 9.3 applies: no penalty, play from the new position. The question is always: what caused it to move?

Real example

You ground your club lightly on a sloped fairway lie, and the ball rolls forward two feet toward the hole. Because the act of grounding likely caused it to move, 1-stroke penalty applies — replace the ball and then play.

What to do on the course

• Add 1 stroke to your score (penalty)
• Replace the ball in its original position before playing
• If the original position is unclear, place it at your best estimate of where it was
• If wind clearly caused the movement (not you), no penalty — play from new spot

Penalty

1-stroke penalty if you caused the movement. No penalty if natural forces caused it.