Governing Bodies
R & A (Royal and Ancient, St Andrews, Scotland)
USGA (USA & Mexico)
Spirit of The Game
Golf is played, for the most part, without supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf.
(R & A)
www.randa.org
THERE ARE ONLY 34 rules in golf, but considering they require 30 000 words to describe and an entirely separate 560-page publication called Decisions on the Rules of Golf to explain, you have to know this is serious stuff.
COMMON MISTAKES, MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND RULE INFRINGEMENTS
Ball Dropped and Played Under Water Hazard Rule; Original Ball Then Found in Hazard and Holed Out as Second Ball (Rule 26-1/5)
Ball in Play Moved Accidentally by Practice Swing (Rule 18-2a/20)
Ball Moves After Player Grounds Club But Before Stance Completed (Rule 18-2b/4)
Ball Moving During Backswing Struck While Still Moving (Rule 14-5/1)
Bunker Covered by Leaves; Player Touches Leaves During Backswing (Rule 13-4/33)
Casual Water on Putting Green Visible When Player Walks Beside Line of Putt But Not Visible Elsewhere (Rule 25/5)
Club Touches Partially Embedded Pine Needle on Backswing in Bunker (Rule 13-4/32)
Competitor Practises Putting on 3rd Green of 9-Hole Course During 18-Hole Stroke Play Competition (Rule7-2/9)
Competitor Repeatedly Replaces Ball Nearer Hole on Green (Rule 33-7/6)
Competitor Unaware of Penalty Returns Wrong Score; Whether Waiving or Modifying Disqualification Penalty Justified (Rule 33-7/4.5)
Course Record (Miscellaneous 1)
Embedded Ball (Rule 25-2)
Lie of Lifted Ball in Bunker Altered by Another Player's Stroke (Rule 20-3b/1)
Omission of Penalty Stroke When Score Returned (Rule 34-1b/1)
Oscillating Ball Pressed into Surface of Putting Green (Rule 18-2a/6)
Player Removes Boundary Post on Line of Play But Replaces It Before Playing (Rule 13-2/25)
Playing Stroke with Back of Clubhead (Rule 14-1/1)
Removal of Boundry Stake Interfering with Swing (Rule 13-2/17)
Rotating Ball on Putting Green Without Marking Position (Rule 18-2a/33)
SCORE CARD (Rule 33-5)
Smoothing Irregularities in Bunker Situated Between Ball and Hole (Rule 13-2/28)
Total Score Recorded by Competitor Incorrect (Rule 6-6d/2)
Touching Bare Earth Wall of Bunker on Backswing (Rule 13-4/34)
Touching Ground in Hazard with Several Practice Swings (Rule 13-4/3)
Touching Sand in Bunker During Backswing (Rule 13-4/31)
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Ball Dropped and Played Under Water Hazard Rule; Original Ball Then Found in Hazard and Holed Out as Second Ball (Rule 26-1/5)
Question: In stroke play, a competitor, unable to find his ball in a water hazard, drops another ball behind the hazard under Rule 26-1 and plays it. He then finds his original ball in the hazard. Not being sure of his rights, he holes out with both balls under Rule 3-3, opting to score with the original ball. What is the ruling?
Answer: When the competitor dropped and played the ball behind the hazard, that ball became the ball in play (see Definition of Ball in Play). The score with that ball was the competitor's score for the hole. The score with the original ball could not count because the ball was no longer the ball in play. However, the competitor incurs no penalty for holing out with the original ball.
Ball in Play Moved Accidentally by Practice Swing (Rule 18-2a/20)
Question: A player makes a practice swing and accidentally moves his ball in play with his club. Has he made a stroke?
Answer: No. He had no intention of moving the ball - see Definition of Stroke. However, he incurs a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a for moving his ball in play, and the ball must be replaced.
STROKE:
A stroke is the forward movement of the club made with the intention of striking at and moving the ball, but if a player checks his downswing voluntarily before the clubhead reaches the ball he has not made a stroke.
Ball Moves After Player Grounds His Club But Before Stance Completed (Rule 18-2b/4)
Question: A player's routine prior to making a stroke is as follows: He first grounds the club directly behind the ball with his feet together: Then he gradually widens his feet to shoulder width. At that point, he makes a stroke. If the ball moves after he grounds the club but before he widens his stance to shoulder width, does he incur a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2b (Ball Moving After Address)?
Answer: No. A player has not addressed the ball until he completes taking his stance, i.e. his feet are essentially in the position in which he normally places them when making a stroke.
However, if the ball moved after the club was grounded but before the player had completed taking his stance, he incurs a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a for having caused the ball to move and must replace the ball, unless there is strong evidence that wind or some other agency caused the ball to move.
Rule 18-1b states that if a player's ball in play moves after he has addressed it (other than as a result of a stroke) the player is deemed to have moved the ball and incurs a penalty of one stroke. Good to remember that the ball has to be replaced - otherwise it's a further two-stroke penalty.
Question: In addressing the ball, the player accidentally causes the ball to oscillate, but it returns to its original position. Has the ball 'moved'?
Answer: No.
(Decision 18/2)
Ball Moving During Backswing Struck While Still Moving (Rule 14-5/1)
Question: A player's ball starts moving during his backswing and he strikes the ball while it is still moving. What is the ruling?
Answer: There is no penalty under Rule 14-5 because the ball began to move after the player had begun his backswing. However, if the player had caused the ball to move or addressed it, he incurred a penalty stroke - Rule 18-2a or b.
Bunker Covered by Leaves; Player Touches Leaves During Backswing (Rule 13-4/33)
Question: A player hits a ball into a bunker which is covered by leaves (loose impediments). The player removes as many leaves as will enable him to see a part of the ball in accordance with Rule 12-1. If the player then touches some of the leaves on his backswing, is he in breach of the Rules?
Answer: Yes. If the player touches leaves on his backswing, he is in breach of Rule 13-4c which prohibits a player from touching a loose impediment in a hazard before making a stroke in a hazard. A stroke does not begin until after the completion of the player's backswing - see Definition of Stroke. If fallen leaves in bunkers seasonally create an abnormal problem, the Committee may make a Local Rule declaring accumulations of leaves in bunkers to be ground under repair. Rule 25-1b(ii) would then apply.
Casual Water on Putting Green Visible When Player Walks Beside Line of Put But Not Visible Elsewhere (Rule 25/5)
Question: A player's ball lies on a putting green. Casual water is not visible on the green. However, when the player walks beside his line of putt, casual water is visible around the player's feet. Is the player entitled to relief?
Answer: Not unless there is casual water visible around the player's feet when he takes his stance.
CASUAL WATER:
Casual water is any temporary accumulation of water on the course that is not in a water hazard and is visible before or after the player takes his stance. Snow and natural ice, other than frost, are either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player. Manufactured ice is an obstruction. Dew and frost are not casual water. A ball is in casual water when it lies in or any part of it touches the casual water.
Club Touches Partially Embedded Pine Needle on Backswing in Bunker (Rule 13-4/32)
Question: A player whose ball lies in a bunker touches a partially embedded pine needle with his club on his backswing. What is the ruling?
Answer: The player is in breach of Rule 13-4c. A partially embedded pine needle is not solidly embedded and is not considered to be fixed; therefore, it is a loose impediment.
LOOSE IMPEDIMENTS:
Loose impediments are natural objects, including:
A) stones, leaves, twigs, branches and the like,
B) dung, and
C) worms, insects and the like, and the casts and heaps made by them,
provided they are not:
A) fixed or growing,
B) solidly embedded, or
C) adhering to the ball.
Sand and loose soil are loose impediments on the putting green, but not elsewhere.
Snow and natural ice, other than frost, are either casual water or loose impediments at the option of the player.
Dew and frost are not loose impediments.
Competitor Practises Putting on 3rd Green of 9-Hole Course During 18-Hole Stroke Play Competition (Rule 7-2/9)
Question: An 18-hole stroke play competition is played on a 9-hole course. A competitor, having holed out at the 3rd hole, plays a practice put on the 3rd green. Since the stipulated round requires that the competitor play the 3rd hole as the 12th hole later in the round, is the competitor penalised for practising?
Answer: No. Rule 7-2 permits a player between the play of two holes to practise putting or chipping on or near the putting green of the hole last played.
Competitor Repeatedly Replaces Ball Nearer Hole on Green (Rule 33-7/6)
Question: On completion of a round in stroke play, a competitor's marker reports that the competitor, after lifting his ball on the putting green, repeatedly placed it nearer the hole than the spot from which it was lifted. The Committee, after gathering all available evidence, concludes that the marker's report is correct. What should the Committee do?
Answer: The competitor should be disqualified under Rule 33-7.
Competitor Unaware of Penalty Returns Wrong Score; Whether Waiving or Modifying Disqualification Penalty Justified (Rule 33-7/4.5)
Question: A competitor returns his score card and the score for one hole is lower than actually taken due to failure to include a penalty of two strokes which he did not know he had incurred. The error is discovered before the competition has closed. Would the Committee be justified, under Rule 33-7, in waiving or modifying the penalty or disqualification prescribed in Rule 6-6d?
Answer: No. It is the responsibility of the competitor to know the Rules.
Course Record (Miscellaneous 1)
The term COURSE RECORD is not defined in the Rules of Golf. However, it is generally accepted that a course record should be recognised as the official course record only if made in an individual stroke play competition (excluding bogey, par or Stableford competitions) with the holes and tee-markers in their proper medal or championship positions.
It is recommended that a record score should not be recognised as the official course record if a Local Rule permitting preferred lies is in operation.
Embedded Ball (Rule 25-2)
A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground in any closely-mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but nor nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green.
CLOSELY-MOWN AREA
means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.
THROUGH THE GREEN
is the whole area of the course except:
a) The teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played: and
b) All hazards on the course.
Mud, Extreme Wetness, Poor Conditions and Protection of the Course
When permission to take relief for an embedded ball anywhere through the green would be warranted, the following Local Rule is recommended:
Through the green, a ball that is embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground may be lifted, without penalty, cleaned and dropped as near as possible to where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green.
EXCEPTION 1: A player may not take relief under this Local Rule if the ball is embedded in sand in an area that is not closely mown.
EXCEPTION 2: A player my not take relief under this Local Rule if it is clearly unreasonable for him to make a stroke because of interference by anything other than the condition covered by this Local Rule.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF LOCAL RULE:
Match Play = Loss of hole; Stroke Play = Two Strokes
Lie of Lifted Ball in Bunker Altered by Another Player's Stroke (Rule 20-3b/1)
Question: The balls of A and B are in the same heel mark in a bunker. B's ball is farther from the hole. A lifts his ball under Rule 22-2, and B plays and obliterates the heel mark. What should A do?
Answer: Under Rule 20-3b, A is required to recreate his original lie as nearly as possible, including the heel mark, and place the ball in that lie.
Omission of Penalty Stroke When Score Returned (Rule 34-1b/1)
Question: In stroke play, a competitor returned an incorrect score for a hole due to failure to include a penalty stroke. After the competition closed the error was discovered. Does Rule 34-1b allow imposition of a disqualification penalty for a breach of Rule 6-6d?
Answer: As stated in Rule 34-1b, the Committee should impose a penalty of disqualification if the competitor knew, before the competition closed, that he had incurred the penalty but intentionally or unintentionally failed to add the penalty to his score, but not if the competitor did not know he had incurred the penalty.
Oscillating Ball Pressed into Surface of Putting Green (Rule 18-2a/6)
Question: A ball lying on the putting green was oscillating due to wind. The player firmly pressed the ball into the surface of the green and the ball stopped oscillating. The player then holed out. Was the player in breach of the Rules?
Answer: Yes. The player incurred a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a when he moved his ball by pressing on it. Since the original lie of the ball was altered when the ball was firmly pressed down, the player was obliged to proceed under Rule 20-3b. Since he did not do so, he lost the hole in match play and incurred a total penalty of two strokes in stroke play - see penalty statement under Rule 18.
Player Removes Boundary Post on Line of Play But Replaces It Before Playing (Rule 13-2/25)
Question: A player removes a post defining out of bounds on his line of play. He realises he has made a mistake and replaces it before playing his next stroke. What is the ruling?
Answer: The player was in breach of Rule 13-2 the moment he moved the post and there was nothing he could do to avoid the penalty. The replacement of the post before the next stroke was irrelevant.
Playing Stroke with Back of Clubhead (Rule 14-1/1)
Question: May a player play a left-handed stroke with the back of the head of a right-handed club?
Answer: Yes. A player may play a stroke with any part of the clubhead, provided the ball is fairly struck at (Rule 14-1) and the club conforms with Rule 4-1.
Removal of Boundry Stake Interfering with Swing (Rule 13-2/17)
Question: A player removes a stake defining out of bounds which interferes with his swing. Is this permissible?
Answer: No. Objects defining out of bounds are fixed. Improving the position of a ball by moving anything fixed is a breach of Rule 13-2.
Rotating Ball on Putting Green Without Marking Position (Rule 18-2a/33)
Question: A player rotates his ball on the putting green to line up the trademark with the hole. He did not lift the ball, mark its position or change its position. Is there a penalty?
Answer: Yes, one stroke for touching the ball other than is provided for in the Rules (Rule 18-2a). Under Rules 16-1b and 20-1, a ball on the putting green may be lifted (or touched or rotated) after its position has been marked. If the player had marked the position of the ball before rotating it, there would have been no penalty.
Smoothing Irregularities in Bunker Situated Between Ball and Hole (Rule 13-2/28)
Question: There is a bunker between A's ball and the hole. Before playing, A smooths footprints and other irregularities in the bunker on his line of play. Was A in breach of Rule 13-2?
Answer: Yes, such action would improve the line of play, contrary to Rule 13-2.
SCORE CARD (Rule 33-5)
In stroke play, the Committee must provide each competitor with a score card containing the date and the competitor's name or, in foursome or four-ball stroke play, the competitors' names.
In stroke play, the Committee is responsible for the addition of scores and application of the handicap recorded on the score card.
In four-ball stroke play, the Committee is responsible for recording the better-ball score for each hole and in the process applying the handicaps recorded on the score card, and adding the better-ball scores.
In bogey, par and Stableford competitions, the Committee is responsible for applying the handicap recorded on the score card and determining the result of each hole and the overall result or points total.
NOTE: The Committee may request that each competitor records the date and his name on his score card.
Total Score Recorded by Competitor Incorrect (Rule 6-6d/2)
Question: In stroke play, a competitor returns his score card to the Committee. The hole by hole scores are correct, but the competitor records a total score which is one stroke lower than his actual total score. Is the competitor subject to penalty?
Answer: No. The competitor is responsible only for the correctness of the score recorded for each hole (Rule 6-6d). The Committee is responsible for the addition of scores (Rule 33-5). If the competitor records a wrong total score, the Committee must correct the error, without penalty to the competitor.
Touching Bare Earth Wall of Bunker on Backswing (Rule 13-4/34)
Question: In playing from a bunker, a player touches a bare earth wall of the bunker with his club on his backswing. What is the ruling?
Answer: The player touched the ground in the hazard in breach of Rule 13-4b. The Note to Rule 13-4 permits a player's club to touch an obstruction (such as an artificial wall) on his backswing. However, an earth wall of a bunker is not an artificial wall.
Touching Ground in Hazard with Several Practice Swings (Rule 13-4/3)
Question: In stroke play, a competitor in ignorance of the Rules took several practice swings in a hazard, touching the ground each time. What is the penalty?
Answer: Two strokes for breach of Rule 13-4. (The ruling would be a single two-stroke penalty - Rule 1-4/12.3)
Touching Sand in Bunker During Backswing (Rule 13-4/31)
Question: A player playing a shot in a bunker accidentally touched the sand when making his backswing. What is the ruling?
Answer: The player was in breach of Rule 13-4b when he touched the ground in the bunker with his club before making the stroke - see Definition of Stroke.