6 Basic Golf Rules All Beginners Need To Know

There are 25 Rules of Golf and you'll be hard-pressed to find many golfers who know the intricacies and sub-sections of every single one.

But on the whole, experienced golfers are fairly good at knowing the main ones they encounter frequently - so which are some of the key Rules to know?

From what happens when you lose your ball to how long you can search for it, bunkers, advice and more, Golf Monthly's Joel Tadman and our qualified Rules expert Fergus Bisset run through the 6 key rules all beginners need to know:

1. Air shot

It's easy for beginners to think that an air shot, or missing the ball completely, doesn't count as a shot as they haven't hit the ball. But that's incorrect.

Rules 10.1 states 'Making a Stroke' defines the 'forward movement of the club made to strike the ball.' In other words, if you attempt to hit the ball, it counts as a stroke - even if you're unsuccessful in making contact.

There are instances where you might be put off in your backswing, or even on the way down if you have a fast reaction time, and purposely miss the ball because of a distraction. That is fine and does not count as a stroke.

Tiger Woods famously used to be able to stop mid-swing, and there was a viral example at the 2025 French Open when Keita Nakajima missed the ball on purpose due to a very last-minute distraction:

However, if you deliberately attempt to make contact with the ball and miss, it counts as a stroke.

2. 14 clubs

Rule 4.1.b states that you cannot have more than 14 clubs in your bag during a round of golf.

If you accidentally have 15 or more, and only discover your error during the round, you must remove any excess clubs and take them out of play immediately. You do this by clearly indicating which club or clubs you are taking out of play, either by advising a playing partner or turning one of the clubs upside down in your bag.

The penalty is severe - four shots in stroke play and two holes in match play after the 2nd hole. If you notice on the 2nd hole, then the penalty is only two strokes in stroke play and one hole in match play as you've only played one hole at that point.

This is what infamously happened to Ian Woosnam in the final round of the 2001 Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes. He had been testing drivers on the range beforehand and he and his caddie discovered that they forgot to take one of them out of the bag. It led to a costly two-stroke penalty while he was tied for the lead.

You can start a round with more than 14 clubs as long as you clearly indicate to your playing partner which ones are out of play. For example, you might have two putters in the bag and make it clear to your playing partners that one of them will not be used.

3. Provisional

If you have hit a wayward shot outside of a penalty area that you believe may be tricky to find or if you're unsure whether it's in or out of bounds, Rule 18.3.a allows you to hit a provisional ball under a stroke and distance penalty.

You must declare you are taking a 'provisional' ball to your playing partners, otherwise your original ball will be deemed out of play even if you find it. You can't simply say you are going to 'play another one', you must use the word 'provisional.'

If you've correctly declared a provisional but find your original ball then you must play the original. If not, carry on playing your provisional.

The Rule is helpful for saving time to avoid that dreaded walk back to the tee if you don't find your original ball.

4. Can't find your golf ball?

Beginner golfers and improving players inevitably will lose plenty of golf balls, so it's important to know the Rules.

Under Rule 18.2.a, you have three minutes to find your ball, from the point you reach the area where you think it is located. This has got tougher in recent years, as before 2019 the time limit was five minutes.

If you can't find it following three minutes of searching, then that ball is deemed lost and your options are:

• 1) Go back to where you played your original shot from under stroke and distance penalty
• 2) Play your provisional ball (if you hit one)

5. Advice

It's only natural for beginner golfers to seek helpful information and learn from their playing partners, especially if they're of a higher skill level.

So what is allowed and isn't?

Rule 10.2.a on 'Advice' states that players must not give advice to any other players during a round, ask for advice or touch another player's equipment (i.e. touching other players' clubs or bags to see which club they're using).

Examples of 'Advice' would be asking what club to hit, telling people what club you hit, offering swing tips or giving general advice related to course and weather conditions.

Breaching this Rule would incur the 'general penalty', which is two shots in stroke play and loss of hole in match play. If it happens while playing a hole the penalty is applied on that hole, and if it happens between holes then the penalty is applied to the next hole.

You are allowed to share yardages, as that is deemed as general information that is not indicated as 'advice.'

6. Bunkers

When it comes to bunkers, everyone hopefully knows that you cannot ground your club in the sand before the shot. You can't 'test' the sand by pushing the club down to see what the conditions are like, and you can't take a practice swing that brushes the sand.

All of these incur the general penalty.

You are able to touch the sand if leaning on your club for support or using it as an aid to get in and out of a bunker, though, just as long as it isn't anywhere near your ball.

Generally speaking, do not touch the sand with your club or hand otherwise you will likely be in breach of the Rules.

MORE RULES ADVICE:

• 10 Key beginner golf Rules to know
• 5 Rules I see most people struggle with
• Red vs Yellow stakes: How they differ