Rules on the course

Ball Hits a Power Line: When Must You Replay?

A power-line bounce is not a free choice between keeping the result and trying again. Read whether the Committee has adopted the relevant Local Rule, which structures it covers and what is known about the contact.

Competition

Competitive Play · Updated October 22, 2026

Follow the worked example

Identical deflection; first read what was adopted

Wire and pole are different contact facts

Wire and pole are different contact factsThe dashed flight from T hits the overhead wire at W and finishes at B. A separate deflection from pole P is not contact with the named wire. The notice, not the appearance of the structure, defines the replay condition.

The dashed flight from T hits the overhead wire at W and finishes at B. A separate deflection from pole P is not contact with the named wire. The notice, not the appearance of the structure, defines the replay condition.

T
Original teeing area for this example; a required replay is from the teeing area under Rule 14.6/6.2, not beside the final ball.
W
Known or virtually certain wire contact.
P
Supporting pole omitted from this fictional adoption.
B
Ball after the wire deflection; a good or bad bounce does not decide whether to replay.
Named wire + E-11 adopted
Replay is mandatory without penalty; the cancelled stroke does not count. Use the correct previous-location procedure.
Same wire, no applicable E-11
There is no automatic replay. In this stated ordinary accidental-contact case, Rule 11.1 means play the ball as it lies.
Pole omitted by the notice
Wire-only adoption does not cover the pole. Read the exact named structures; do not expand the replay condition yourself.

If the previous stroke was not from the teeing area, Rule 14.6 uses the appropriate previous-location procedure: general-area relief differs from replacement on a putting green. A replay from a wrong place and failure to replay are separate breaches under E-11.

Fictional notice: E-11 covers the overhead wire on hole 4 only. Its support pole is not named. These are accidental non-putting-green contacts with no other rule changing the result. A temporary competition cable or TIO guy wire requires its separate governing text.

The short version

  • Model Local Rule E-11 makes a qualifying replay mandatory, not optional.
  • Known or virtually certain contact with the covered structure is part of the condition.
  • Temporary competition cables use a separate F-22 treatment and exceptions.

Follow one stroke through two results

In our fictional adopted E-11 case, Ava's tee shot hits the specified overhead line. One branch of the storyboard shows a lucky bounce into the fairway; the other shows the ball finishing in trouble. The replay requirement does not change with the quality of that bounce.

A group agreement to keep a good result but replay a bad one is not the model rule. Start with the actual adopted condition, not the preferred outcome.

Which structure was covered?

Read the listed line, tower, wire or supporting pole and the named holes. Establish whether contact is known or virtually certain. A sound, a guess or a playing partner saying a shot looked close is not a substitute for the required factual standard.

Without an applicable replay condition, do not invent one. Accidental contact with an object is addressed by the Rules and any relevant adopted Local Rule, not by an automatic mulligan.

Permanent line and temporary cable are different

E-11 concerns the specified power-line situation. F-22 addresses temporary power and communications lines and cables at a competition, with its own treatment and exceptions. A cable rising from the ground and a TIO's supporting guy wire are examples requiring that exact text.

The picture cannot classify all those structures by appearance. Ask the referee which condition governs before proceeding.

Replay from the proper place

Where a replay is required, use the procedure for returning to the previous stroke location under Rule 14.6. Dropping at a convenient nearby point is not a valid substitute. A wrong-place replay and failing to replay are different breaches in the current model wording.

For another event-specific structure rule, compare TIO relief. The tournament rules guide supplies the wider preparation context.

Your next move

Check the governing rule

Confirm the actual condition, adopted Local Rule and procedure before moving the ball.

Check the governing rule(Official source), opens in a new tab

Keep reading

Sources and review

What it covers
2023 Rules of Golf and current published clarifications/Model Local Rules checked October22,2026 for this specific scenario.
Checked

Primary sources

What this page cannot tell you

  • Original fictional diagrams; no actual course adoption or measured relief location is claimed. No named rules-qualified reviewer has reviewed this page.