What happens if I declare my ball unplayable and go back to where I hit from?

Yes, you can always choose stroke-and-distance relief. Add one penalty stroke and play a ball from where you made your last stroke — even if the original ball is lost. This is the only unplayable option that doesn't require you to find the ball first.

How stroke-and-distance works

You pick up your ball (or grab another one if you can't find it) and go back to the spot where you hit your last shot. Drop within one club-length of that spot, no closer to the hole. That's it — one penalty stroke added to your score, and you're playing again from there. It doesn't matter if that spot is actually closer to the hole than where your ball ended up. If your tee shot hits a tree and bounces back behind the tee markers, or your putt rolls off the green and down a slope, you can still replay from the tee or the putting green. The rule doesn't care about geometry — it only cares about where you last swung.

What you can't do

You can only go back to your last stroke. Not the one before that, not your drive from three holes ago. If stroke-and-distance and back-on-the-line both look terrible, your only other choice is lateral relief — and you can keep taking lateral relief over and over, adding a penalty each time, until you get a playable lie. Also, once you drop and the ball comes to rest in the relief area, that's your new situation. If you hate the lie, you can declare it unplayable again and start the whole process over — another penalty stroke, another choice of the three options.

Where the dropped ball can end up

Your relief area can be anywhere on the course — fairway, rough, bunker, penalty area, even the putting green or a no-play zone. If you drop into a no-play zone or a wrong green, you then have to take the required relief from that spot, which might mean another drop and another penalty.

Exceptions that change the answer

• Your last stroke was from a spot nearer the hole than where the ball lies → You still take stroke-and-distance relief from that spot — even if it means playing from closer to the hole. Common examples: tee shot bouncing back behind the tee, or a putt rolling off the green and farther away.
• You haven't found your original ball → Stroke-and-distance is your only unplayable option. Back-on-the-line and lateral relief both require you to know the exact spot of the original ball. If you use either without finding it, you're treated as taking stroke-and-distance anyway.
• You've already dropped under a different relief option and the ball is still unplayable → The reference point for stroke-and-distance doesn't change until you make another stroke. So you can go back to the spot of your original last stroke, not where you just dropped from.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to find my ball to take stroke-and-distance relief?

No. That's the whole point — stroke-and-distance is the only unplayable option you can use without finding the ball. You just go back to where you last hit from and play another ball.

Can I go back to my tee shot if I hit my second shot into trouble?

No. Stroke-and-distance only applies to your last stroke. If your second shot is unplayable, you go back to where you hit that second shot — not back to the tee.

What if I drop under stroke-and-distance and the new lie is just as bad?

Tough luck — you accepted the outcome when you dropped. But you can declare the new ball unplayable too, take another penalty stroke, and choose any of the three options again (including stroke-and-distance back to the same spot).

Can I drop in a bunker or penalty area when taking stroke-and-distance?

Yes. Your relief area can be in any area of the course. If you drop in a bunker, you play from the sand. If you drop in a penalty area, you play it as it lies (or take penalty area relief if you want).

Is there ever a time I can't use stroke-and-distance?

Never. It's always available as long as you know where your last stroke was made. The only catch is the one penalty stroke — and the fact that you might end up in a worse spot than you started.