What happens if something else moves my ball at rest?

No penalty — you just put the ball back where it was. If it's known or virtually certain an outside influence (a person, animal, another ball, or even a wind-blown object) moved your ball at rest, you replace it on its original spot (estimating if needed) and play on.

What counts as an outside influence

An outside influence is anything not part of your game — another player in stroke play, a spectator, an animal, a moving cart, or even another ball. Wind itself is not an outside influence, but if wind blows something (like a plastic bag or a towel) and that thing moves your ball, the object is the outside influence and Rule 9.6 applies. The key is whether it's known or virtually certain that an outside influence caused the movement.

When you replace and when you don't

If it's known or virtually certain an outside influence moved your ball, there's no penalty and you must replace it on its original spot (Rule 14.2). If you don't know the exact spot, use your reasonable judgment to estimate it. This applies even if you haven't found the ball yet — you're replacing a ball on the estimated spot. But if it's not known or virtually certain, and the ball is lost, you don't get free replacement — you take stroke-and-distance relief under Rule 18.2.

Tricky situations and gotchas

If you play the ball after it was moved but before you knew, you didn't play from a wrong place — you play on with no penalty once you learn the truth (Interpretation 9.6/3). If your ball was moved from out of bounds onto the course by an outside influence and you play it, that's a wrong ball — no penalty for the wrong ball, but you must correct the mistake under Rule 18.2b. And if another player plays your ball as a wrong ball, that's covered by Rule 6.3c(2), not Rule 9.6.

Exceptions that change the answer

• Wind moves an object that then moves your ball → The object (not the wind) is the outside influence — Rule 9.6 applies. You can either replace the ball or take relief under Rule 15.2a from the estimated spot under the object.
• Original spot is unknown → Use reasonable judgment (Rule 1.3b(2)) to estimate where the ball came to rest before it was moved.
• You learn the ball was moved only after you've played it → No penalty for playing from a wrong place — you didn't know at the time of the stroke.
• Ball moved from out of bounds onto the course by outside influence and you play it → It's a wrong ball — no penalty under Rule 6.3c(1), but you must correct the mistake under Rule 18.2b.

Frequently asked questions

A bird picked up my ball and dropped it somewhere else — what do I do?

An animal is an outside influence. No penalty — estimate where the ball originally lay and replace it there (Rule 9.6, Interpretation 9.6/2).

Another player's ball hit mine on the fairway and moved it — penalty?

No penalty. Another ball is an outside influence in stroke play. Replace your ball on its original spot (or estimate it) and play on.

Wind blew my ball — is that an outside influence?

No, wind itself is not an outside influence. You play the ball as it lies unless wind moved an object (like a bag or towel) that then moved your ball — then the object is the outside influence and Rule 9.6 applies.

I can't find my ball and think a spectator might have picked it up — what now?

If it's known or virtually certain a spectator (outside influence) moved it, replace a ball on the estimated spot — no penalty. If it's not virtually certain, the ball is lost and you take stroke-and-distance under Rule 18.2.

I played my ball, then found out a dog had moved it before my shot — penalty?

No penalty for playing from a wrong place because you didn't know at the time of the stroke (Interpretation 9.6/3). Replace the ball on the correct spot and continue.