Played yesterday with a young guy who was getting handicap cards.

He played a chip shot and fluffed it into a tea tree sort of bush and the ball gotstuck in the folige at about head height. He basically walked up and gave the branch a shove and the ball fell to his feet and he played his next shot.

I’m guessing he should have been penalised, but I’m not sure of the correct ruling and procedure?

Sorry if this has been covered before

D18-2a/28 Ball Dislodged from Tree; Circumstances in Which Player Penalised

Q: A player could not find his ball. Believing the ball might be lodged in a tree, he shook the tree and his ball fell to the ground. He played the ball from where it came to rest. What is the ruling?

A: The player incurred one penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a for moving his ball. He should have replaced the ball. Since he did not do so, in match play he lost the hole and in stroke play he incurred a total penalty of two strokes – see penalty statement under Rule 18.

so his options are just an unplayable..two clubs lengths or take back as far as he wants to on line of sight between that point and flag??....

Or his other option for an unplayable – return to where the previous stroke was made and play from that place. Or play it as is lies in the tree.

I had a situation on the weekend where my tee shot ended up in the trees down the left side of the fairway. When I got to the spot where I believed the ball to be there was no sign of it, then my ball dropped from the trees and land about 3 feet from where I stood.

I didn’t shake any trees or do anything to influence the ball to drop from the tree. So I’m not worried about and penalties there.

I just have a hypothetical situation, if when the ball dropped from the tree and hit me, what would the outcome have been???

I just have a hypothetical situation, if when the ball dropped from the tree and hit me, what would the outcome have been???

One of my most unfortunate memories as a beginner was to have a full-blooded shot hit a horizontal branch, and to have the ball come straight back to hit me right in the groin. Not only was I writheing on the ground in agony after the shot, I received a two-stroke penalty!

Been in a similar situation ,fortunately I was hit a little higher. Does add insult to injury though.