Golf decisions
Animal Hole, Hoof Mark or Divot: Golf Relief
Not every mark made by an animal is an animal hole. Identify the condition first, then check interference and the part of the course where your ball lies.
Competitive Play · Updated October 24, 2026
Name the condition before choosing relief
Original Rules cases
Name the condition before choosing relief- Dug hole and excavated mound
- A rabbit hole has loose material it dug out beside the opening. That material forms part of the animal-hole definition.
Check Rule 16.1 interference and location; the opening alone does not define the whole condition.
Case 1 - One hoof print
- A deer has left an isolated footprint away from any worn trail leading into a dug hole.
The footprint is not an animal hole under that definition. Check for a separately marked ground-under-repair condition.
Case 2 - Ordinary divot
- A ball rests in the scar left by another golfer's stroke. No ground-under-repair marking or applicable Local Rule is present.
A poor lie alone provides no animal-hole relief. A detached piece of turf can be a loose impediment, but moving the ball is a separate issue.
Case 3 - Worm cast
- A removable mound made by a worm is beside the ball.
The loose-impediment definition covers the mound; it is not treated as an animal hole. Apply removal and ball-movement rules.
Case 4
Original written field cases. They do not identify a real photographed mark. If the physical evidence is unclear, preserve it and obtain a Committee decision before assuming relief.
The short version
- A dug animal hole can include its excavated material and an associated worn track.
- An isolated animal footprint is not automatically an animal hole.
- A divot does not gain free relief merely because the lie is poor.
The definition follows digging
An animal hole includes more than a visible opening: excavated material, a worn-down track or trail leading into it, and ground pushed up or altered by underground digging can belong to the condition. The definition excludes holes dug by animals classified as loose impediments, such as worms or insects.
An isolated footprint fails that test. A hoof mark might be within separately defined ground under repair, but that is a different reason for relief. Ask which condition is being invoked rather than relying on the broad label animal damage.
Interference is a second question
A qualifying condition still needs the required interference. The ball touching it or interference with the intended stance or swing can matter. The Committee may adopt a Local Rule excluding stance-only interference. Merely noticing the hole on a chosen line across the fairway does not normally establish interference.
Rule 16.1 does not supply abnormal-course-condition relief for a ball in a penalty area. It also does not rescue a stroke that is clearly unreasonable for a separate reason, or interference created only by a clearly unreasonable choice of stroke. Record where the ball is before deciding how to proceed.
The course area changes the procedure
For an eligible ball in the general area, identify the nearest point of complete relief in that area and drop in the prescribed one-club-length relief area, no nearer the hole and with complete relief. This is a reference-point exercise, not permission to carry the ball to a preferred lie.
A ball on the putting green uses placement at the applicable reference point rather than the general-area drop. A bunker has its own free-relief and outside-bunker options. Follow the linked procedure for your actual area. If you only remove a loose impediment, do not confuse permission to remove it with permission to move or substitute the ball.
Follow the related task
Sources and scope
Official provisions checked October 24, 2026. Examples illustrate only their stated facts; read the complete procedure and current course or event conditions.
Your next move
Read the governing source
Check the full explanation and the conditions that apply to your task.
Read the governing source(Official source), opens in a new tabKeep reading
Sources and review
- What it covers
- Rules classification and procedure under the cited current official text; fictional examples apply only to their stated course areas and conditions. Written source text checked 2026-10-24.
- Checked
Primary sources
- The R&A: Definitions: Animal Hole and Loose Impediment (Official source), opens in a new tab · retrieved
- The R&A: Rule 16: Relief from Abnormal Course Conditions (Official source), opens in a new tab · retrieved
- The R&A: Rule 15: Relief from Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions (Official source), opens in a new tab · retrieved
What this page cannot tell you
- These source-based, hypothetical cases do not determine relief or penalties for an actual lie and do not replace the responsible Committee or referee.