The rules of golf

The Rules of Golf

1.Golf is a game played by hitting a ball from the teeing ground into the hole with sequential strokes according to the official rules of golf. The penalty for violating this rule, even without intent, is two-strokes in stroke play or the loss of the hole in match play.

New decisions for 2006 also stipulate that even if both players agree to play a shot out of turn in order to save time or additional walking, both players would be penalized in formal play.

In situations where a player’s ball is missing, but is later found to be in the hole, the general consensus is that the original ball and score would count, as the hole was completed with the original ball. (For example, a player on a par 3 hole declares his ball lost and plays a provisional ball, only to discover his original ball in the cup when attempting to finish the hole with the provisional ball. The player’s score would be 1 for that hole.)

If an opponent steps on a player’s line of putt, with then intent to help or harm the shot in question, the penalty is two-strokes in stroke play or the loss of the hole in match play.

Flagstick faults: Player 1 removes the flagstick and places it on the green behind the hole. His subsequent put misses the hole and is headed for the flagstick. Player 2 picks up the flagstick, so as to avoid Player 1’s ball striking the flagstick. In this case, Player 2 is penalized, for moving an obstacle that would have influenced the path of the ball. Had Player 2 not moved the flag, Player 1 would have been penalized.

Influencing the motion of the ball: A player’s ball has stopped on the edge of the hole, and the player jumps up to try to shake the ground and have the ball fall into the hole. If the ball doesn’t move, there is no penalty. If the ball does move, there are two outcomes. If the ball was at rest, there is a one-stroke penalty in both match and stroke play. If the ball was in motion, then the player was trying to influence the course of the ball and the penalty is the loss of the hole (match) or a two-stroke penalty (stroke).

In general, do not ever interfere with a ball in motion or another player’s ball for any reason. The rules of golf are very clear on this issue, and even if you have the best intentions, you will be penalized. For further examples, see the Decisions on the Rules of Golf on the USGA website. Furthermore, in official play, even when all players concerned agree not to apply a penalty or to overlook a rule, the players should be disqualified.

2.In match play, players must concede in concrete terms, usually by picking up the opponent’s ball and handing it over. Concessions cannot be decline or withdrawn.

In cases where both parties agree to end play after a certain point, officially both players would be disqualified for not completing a full round. If Player 1 is declared the winner in match play, and it is later discovered that this was incorrect, normally, the original score stands, if there was no false information given.

Once a hole has been conceded, that score stands, regardless of what subsequently happens to the ball.

3.In stroke play, a player may bring a second ball into play in situations where the first ball may be called into question. If the situation in question is unclear, the player is permitted to finish the hole with two balls.

The player with the fewest number of strokes is the winner. In handicapped play, the player with the lowest net score (factoring in the handicap) is the winner.

If a player fails for any reason to hold out on a hole and then proceeds to tee off on a subsequent hole, that player will be disqualified.

4.The official limit for the number of clubs a player may carry and use during a round of golf is fourteen. Should a player break a club or render it unplayable, the club may be replaced with another provided the pace of play is not unduly disrupted. The penalty for carrying more than fourteen clubs is the loss of the hole in match Play, or a two-stroke penalty in stroke Play.

No foreign material of any kind can be added to the club or ball to improve playing characteristics. No club except the putter may be longer than 48 inches.

Players are not permitted to use or borrow a club selected by another player for use on the course. Partners may share clubs, provided that their number of clubs does not exceed 14.

5.If your ball is cut or physically rendered unfit for play (not simply dirty), it may be replaced during play in the exact spot with another ball in the presence of your opponent.

6.Make yourself aware of any local rules, which are usually printed on the score card or posted on a board or sign near the clubhouse. Players must also complete each hole within reasonable time or face a penalty for unnecessary delay of the game. Players must be sure their score card is correct and signed.

In general competitions, a player may now have a caddie carry his or her clubs, and other persons carry personal items, so long as those other individuals do not touch the clubs selected for play. However, specific events or locations may prevent this policy, hence the need to know the local rules.

Should play be suspended for a given day, your group will need to resume play the following day as soon as the next hole in their order of play is free. Should any member of the group not be present when play begins, that player would be disqualified.

7.While playing a hole, a player may not take any practice strokes in which the club strikes the ball. Every stroke in which the club contacts that ball will count as a full stroke. You may take practice strokes between holes, provided you do not play any green other than the one you just completed.

8.Players can only ask or receive advise from their caddy or partner. Advice is clearly defined as information affecting your decisions about how to play a shot or what type of club to use. Asking anyone for information about rules or local traditions is permitted. Furthermore, players cannot accept physical assistance from another nor receive protection from the elements or utilize objects that make a shot more comfortable (for example, kneeling on a towel in wet grass to hit a difficult shot).

Furthermore, players cannot utilize an mark or marker placed in the line of play between the tee and the green, as this is defined as “assistance” outside of the player’s person. Such markers include any physical object, such as a club, bag, towel, or anything else that could be used as a visual reference, particularly when playing over a blind hill. The sole exception is the flagstick, which can be held up as a visual reference at any point.

A person (opponent, partner, or caddie) attending the flagstick for a putting player may not in any circumstances assist in pointing out a line of play or direction for the player (i.e., “aim for my left foot…”).

9.A player can ask his opponent about the number of strokes they have taken at anytime.

Should a player refuse to announce the number of strokes that have taken, that player would face a penalty of loss of the whole in question (or the previous hole) in match player, or a two-stroke penalty in stroke-play.

10.The order for playing each hole is a follows. In official competition, players would proceed in the order in which their names appear in the draw. If there is no list, then players toss a coin to see who will “take the honor.” In amateur or informal games, it is a general tradition that the player with the lowest handicap should go first. Players with equal handicaps would toss a coin. For subsequent holes, the player with the lowest score goes first; if the scores are even then the player who went first on the previous hole with again go first.

Should a player wish to play a provisional ball (fearing the original might be lost), the proper order of play dictates that the player should immediately play the provisional ball, before the next player’s shot. Should the next player have already played, the player with the provisional ball should simply play after the other player, without calling back the second player’s ball and forcing him to hit again.

11.The ball must be teed up within the teeing ground, an invisible rectangle extending two club-lengths backward from a direct line between the tee markers. Players may stand outside this box when teeing up, but the ball must lie within it. Penalties are two strokes and a replay of the tee shot for stroke play, and a replayed shot for match play.

Should your ball fall off the tee when you have placed the ball on the tee and are preparing to begin your down-stroke, you can replace the ball on the tee provided you have not yet struck the ball. If you do strike the ball and it topples from the tee and only rolls a short distance, you must consider the ball in play and count it as one stroke. The exception to this is if the player takes the botched shot as a mulligan, and replays the initial tee shot.

12.Know your own ball. Players must be able to identify the brand and number of the ball they are currently playing. Professionals will often add a personalized mark to further distinguish their ball from other. It is often helpful for players to inform their companions of the brand of ball each person is playing.

13.The ball must be played as it lies. The exception to this rule is the “stroke and distance” rule. If a player’s ball is lost, out of bounds, or otherwise unplayable, the “stroke and distance” rule can be used. A player would go back to the location where they played the lost/unplayable shot, add a stroke to your score, and play another ball. Should the foul shot have been struck from the tee, the player is permitted to re-tee the second shot, which in that case would be scored as the third shot of the hole.

Included within this rule is the prohibition from improving the lie of the ball or the line of the shot or the path of your swing by moving, bending, or breaking anything that is fixed to the ground or growing or other surface irregularities. You are not allowed to push down the grass surrounding your ball other than what is absolutely necessary to identify your ball. Exceptions to this provision are as follows:

Taking a stance: you may move vegetation as necessary but not out of scope with the objects around your ball. Specifically, you cannot trample the area directly behind your ball to improve your shot nor use ‘practice swings’ to help clear a path around your ball.

Making your stroke: you are allowed to contact, bend, or break vegetation when your club is in motion toward the ball, provided such action is not intended to clear the vegetation, but only a result of the swing needed to contact the ball.

Teeing the ball: you are allowed to tap down the grass behind your ball when teeing up.

On the green: you are allowed to repair pitch marks and to remove physical obstacles (loose impediments) that lie in the path of your ball.

Two players’ balls lie very close together. Player 1 damages the intended area where player 2 was planning to stand to strike his own ball by creating a divot. Player 2 may attempt to repair the damage, or if this is not easily done, player 2 may move his ball without penalty within one club-length of the original lie, as long as the new location is not nearer to the hole and is not in a hazard.

Except in a hazard, players are allowed to ground their club slightly just behind their ball. If a player pushes down the sand behind a ball in a hazard, thus improving the lie of the ball, the player is in breach of rule 13.

14.If you complete a full swing without contacting the ball (an air shot), that stroke is still counted. If you are able to check your swing before crosses the plane of the ball it will not count. The use of any artificial aids such as range-finders or wind gauges are forbidden. Natural objects, such as blades of grass, leaves, etc, can be used to determine wind speed, as well as yardage charts.

Local rules may permit distance-measuring devices. In the absence of local rules permitting these instruments, they would not be allowed. Any device which measures other factors (wind, slope, etc.) are not permitted under any circumstances.

Players may use stretching aids (a bar, rubber tubing) to warm up and stretch before a stroke, so long as these aids are not used during the golf swing, and the stretching routine does not delay play.

15.Players who accidentally play the wrong ball will be penalized two strokes in stroke play will lose the hole in match play.

16.A player is allowed to clean the ball on the green before each putt. You are allowed to repair pitch marks and remove any loose impediments from the line of your putt. However, you are not allowed to touch the grass in the line of your putt in a way that would allow you to read the grain; this may be done only by sight.

You are also not allowed to stand over a straight line between the hole and your ball (croquet putting); all putts must be made from one side or the other. If your putt stops on the lip of the hole, you are allowed ten seconds to see if it will drop.

When marking your ball, it is best to place your mark immediately behind your ball, lining up the marker with the hole, so that you can replace your ball in its original location. The player whose ball is furthest from the hole plays first.

A player inadvertently stands with one foot in line with the ball and hole, while trying to avoid stepping on another player’s line of putt. The player holes the ball with a normal putting swing. Under these circumstances, the player is not in violation of the rule, which is intended to eliminate croquet-style putting, which the player did not use.

A ball comes to rest on the edge of the hole, but not touching the flagstick. When removing the flagstick, the ball either falls into the hole, or rolls away. Should the player be penalized? In this situation, it depends upon the actions of the player. If the movement of the ball is solely the result of removing the flagstick, the ball should be replaced without penalty. If the player was responsible for the movement of the ball, then the ball must be replaced and the player penalized two strokes. If the player’s opponent removes the flagstick, causing the ball to move, the opponent would be at fault and would lose the hole or be penalized two strokes. The ball should be replaced at the edge of the hole.

If a ball at rest should fall into the hole as the flagstick is being removed, there will be a penalty against the player who removed the flagstick.

17.Before you putt, you must decide what to do with the flagstick: to remove it, have someone else attend to it, or to leave it. There is a two-stroke penalty if your ball strikes the flagstick.

Local rules may permit the use of reflectors on flagsticks to aid in the use of distance-measuring devices.

18.If a ball in play is moved from its original position, there is a one-stroke penalty, with the exception of the tee shot, at which point the ball may be placed back on the tee.

Should a ball move as a player removes a loose impediment, it must be determined if the manner in which the loose impediment was removed contributed to the movement of the ball, or if other factors (wind, rain) might have been the cause.

19.If you, your caddy, or your equipment deflects or impacts a moving ball in play the penalty is two strokes or the loss of the hole. Should your opponent cause the impact to your ball there is no penalty, and the ball must be replaced by you. In match play, you may choose to play the ball from its new lie or replay the entire shot.

20.Players must drop the ball from shoulder height straight down, letting gravity take its course. If the ball touches the player or his clothing, it must be re-dropped. Should two drops not be sufficient to bring the ball into play, the ball may be placed in the proper location by the player.

A player launches a ball from a bunker, but the ball lands out-of-bounds. The player decides to take a drop from the edge of a bunker. He drops his ball so that it lands within a few inches (but not nearer to the hole) of the original lie, but when the ball was dropped, it landed on part of the course first, rather than the bunker. According to the rules, the ball must be re-dropped so that it first strikes the hazard. When taking a drop, the player must always make sure that the ball first strikes the part of the course from where the last shot was last struck.

If a player drops a ball, then realizes that the ball is unplayable and picks up that ball, they would be penalized one stroke, and must put the ball back into play

If a player’s ball lies in a water hazard, and the player decides to drop a new ball, but then decides to play the original ball, there is no penalty if the player abandons the dropped ball.

21.A player may clean the ball before each putt on the green. Normally ‘one clean per green’ is enough.

22.A player may mark and remove the ball at anytime and any player can ask for an opponent’s ball to be marked and removed. This applies ONLY to balls at rest. Any ball in motion cannot be touched.

23.Loose impediments, such as leaves, twigs, trash, etc., can be moved without penalty. Sand and loose soil are only considered loose impediments on the green.

Spiders, while not insects, are considered to be insect-like, and therefore spider webs may be removed as loose impediments even if attached to other objects.

24.Movable obstructions can be moved, even within bunkers (the rake for example). If your ball is moved in this case there is no penalty. In the case of immovable obstructions, you must determine the point from which you can obtain a clear swing and you can drop the ball within one club-length of that point without penalty.

25.A ball in its own pitch mark may be lifted, cleaned and replaced as near as possible, but not within, the pitch mark.

26.There is a one-stroke penalty for re-dropping a ball that has been lost in a water hazard. There is no penalty for a ball lost in casual (temporary standing) water or water that has overflowed the banks of an existing water hazard. Should your ball land in a lateral water hazard (as identified on the score card, water that runs parallel to the line of play), you have the choice of taking a drop on either side of the hazard.

You cannot lift your ball from a bunker to make sure it is yours. All you can do is identify the location of the ball. Should you discover after exiting the bunker that you have hit the wrong ball, there is no penalty, and the player is free to return and try to locate the correct ball.

A player believes his ball to be lost in a water hazard and puts a dropped ball into play. However, before the dropped ball is played, the original ball is found. As the player followed the proper procedure for putting a new ball into play, the original must be abandoned and the player must continue with the new ball without penalty.

27.A ball that clearly goes out of bounds is simply replayed with a one stroke penalty. Should it be unclear whether a ball may or may not be out of bounds, a player may play a provisional ball after all other players have it. When you progress to the location where you believe the original ball to be, you have five minutes to try to find it. If the original ball is found, the player would remove the provisional ball and continue playing. If the original ball is lost, then the player continues playing with the provisional ball, and takes a one-stroke penalty. The player cannot choose which ball to play. If the original ball is found the only option is to declare it unplayable (a one-stroke penalty) and follow the “stroke and distance” rule.

A player’s first ball flies out-of-bounds when struck from the tee. The player puts a second provisional ball into play, which also appears to fly out-of-bounds. A third ball is put into play, which lands on the fairway. The status of the second ball is overruled by the third ball, so the player would proceed with the third ball, and a stroke-count of five (including penalties).

28.A player is allowed to clean the ball when the ball is removed from an unplayable lie. Thus a player is not allowed to clean the ball when lifting it to identify it, except where necessary for identification.

29.In groups of three or four players, each team must alternate play from the teeing grounds and during the play of each hole. Penalty strokes will not affect the order of play. In match play, if a player plays out of turn, his team loses the hole. In stroke play, the team is penalized two strokes and the mistaken stroke or strokes are cancelled.

30.In general, the Rules of Golf also apply to three-ball, best-ball and four-ball matches. The specific exceptions are listed with examples under Rule 30 on the website of the U.S. Golf Association.

31.In four-ball stroke play, two players work as partners, each playing his own ball. The lower score of the two is the total for the hole. Should one player fail to complete the hole, there is no penalty. The Rules of Golf apply to four-ball games, except for some specific exceptions, as listed under Rule 31 on the website of the U.S. Golf Association.

32.Bogey, Par, and Stableford competitions are variations on stroke-play in golf. A game is played against a fixed score at each hole. The basic Rules of Golf apply in these games as well, with the following exceptions.

Bogey and Par Games: The scoring for these games conforms with match play games. Penalties also follow the guidelines for match play, and the winner is the player with the highest number of holes won.

Stableford Games: Scoring in a Stableford game is kept by points in relation to a fixed score as follows:

More than one stroke over fixed score (FS) or no score:0 Points
One stroke over FS:1 Points
Score equals FS:2 Points
One stroke under FS:3 Points
Two strokes under FS:4 Points
Three strokes under FS:5 Points
Four strokes under FS:6 Points

33.A Committee is in charge of any competition or course, and makes the decisions regarding rulings on each particular course and competition, in line with the Rules of Golf. The Committee determines the boundaries of the course, the times and order of play, makes decisions regarding scoring and in the case of ties, local rules, and disqualifications.

34.The Committee for a course or competition will decide any claims and resolve disputes in a timely fashion. The Committee may appoint a referee to represent its interests.