The Golf Rules You’re Probably Breaking

The Rules of golf are comprehensive and it’s important for all players to have a good understanding of them in order to maintain the integrity of the game.

Although most of the Rules are fairly straightforward, there are some that are a little more obscure and you could well be caught out by them. Here we look at some golf Rules you might be breaking without knowing it.

Teeing off Early

You are probably aware you can be penalised for missing your tee time in competitive golf. But did you know, you can face a penalty or even disqualification for teeing off before your allotted time in a competition?

If you don’t have permission from the committee, you will face a general penalty – two shots in stroke play and loss of hole in match play if you tee off up to five minutes before your time.

If you were to tee off more than five minutes before your designated time, you would be disqualified. See Rule 5.3 for more information.

Leaving Tracker Dots on Club face

If you’re testing clubs or being custom fit, it’s likely you will have seen the pro placing tracker dots or fiducials on the face of the club to give an indication of performance.

You might think these are so minimal as to make no difference if you were to leave them on. You might be right, but you can’t leave them on the face according to the Rules.

The Rules say that those stickers could change the club’s playing characteristics, making it non-conforming and that would be in contravention of Rule 4.1a. If you make a stroke with a club that has fiducials left on, you’ll be disqualified.

If you go for a club fitting, be sure to take those stickers off!

Nearest Point of Complete Relief

If you’re taking a free drop for an abnormal course condition under Rule 16, you must find your nearest point of complete relief from the condition – the closest spot, no nearer the hole where the condition no longer impacts on your lie, stance or swing. You have one club length in which to drop from there.

The temptation might be to find the nicest point of complete relief. If you’re on a cart path and the nearest point of relief is in a bush on one side – that is where you have to go to. You can’t simply pick the side where your lie will be best.

It’s one of the most commonly abused Rules – you must take nearest point of relief and not nicest!

Holding on to your card for too long

Rule 3.3b(2) says that a player must certify the scores on a scorecard and promptly return it to the committee.

You can’t finish your round, go for a three-course lunch with port and cigars, wait for four hours and then hand your scorecard in before leaving.

If you don’t return your score promptly (basically as soon as you are able to do so) you have breached Rule 3.3b and you are disqualified.

Get your card into the machine or to the scorer as quickly as you can!

It isn’t always two club lengths!

You’ll often see people making the mistake of measuring two club lengths whenever they get a drop. That isn’t right.

If you’re taking a penalty drop for an unplayable ball you would have the option to drop two club lengths away from the ball’s original location.

But, if you’re taking relief from an abnormal course condition, a puddle for example, you only have a one-club length relief area from the nearest point of complete relief.

If you see someone take two club lengths, let them know and they will be able to correct their mistake before playing from a wrong place!