Imagine this scenario: you’re hitting the ball in damp conditions, trying to dig it out from near a tree. But when you look down, the ball is nowhere to be seen; instead, it’s stuck to your clubface by a lump of mud. How should you proceed in such an unusual situation? What happens when you’ve taken a shot, but the ball remains firmly attached to the club?
Golf Rules: What Happens If the Ball Sticks to the Clubface?
Here’s the “bad” news: you’ve already made a stroke. The ball might not have gone anywhere, but you initiated a downswing with the intention of hitting it. According to the rules, the act of attempting to hit the ball counts as a stroke, regardless of what actually happened to the ball.
However, the good news is that you won’t incur a penalty for this. And no one expects you to try and launch the ball off the clubface like in lacrosse.
If this situation ever occurs – whether it’s mud or a clump of earth acting as the adhesive – you should simply drop the ball in a relief area of one club-length. Yes, you can clean the ball first, and the drop spot is defined as the estimated point directly underneath where the ball first became attached to the clubface.