Unplayable Ball Rule in Golf: Your 3 Options

You decide

Under a bush, against a tree, buried in a bad lie: you can declare your ball unplayable anywhere on the course except in a penalty area, and only you can make that call. In a penalty area, use the penalty area options instead.

The three options, one stroke each

Option	What you do
Stroke and distance	Play again from where you made the last stroke, as for a lost ball. You can do this even if you never found the ball.
Back on the line	Keep the spot of the ball between the hole and you, and go back on that line as far as you like. Drop within one club-length of a point you pick on the line.
Lateral	Drop within two club-lengths of where the ball is, not nearer the hole.

The back-on-the-line and lateral options need you to know where the ball is, so for a ball you can’t find, stroke and distance is the only choice.

Lateral is two club-lengths from the ball, not from the nearest spot clear of the bush. If the bush is wide, two club-lengths may not get you out, and back on the line is often the better choice.

In a bunker

The same three options apply for one stroke, but a back-on-the-line or lateral drop has to stay in the bunker.

There’s a fourth option: for two penalty strokes in total, drop back on the line outside the bunker. It’s often worth it from a buried lie under the lip.

How to drop

Drop from knee height, and the ball has to stay in the relief area. The taking a drop page has the details, including what to do when it keeps rolling out.