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8 Basic Rules Of Golf As Outlined By The USGA

If you wish to play the game of golf exactly as the rules state,
created by the United States Golf Association (USGA), then the
following list will help you become familiar with some of the
basic regulations:

1. You are not allowed to give advice to your playing partners.
Nor are you allowed to accept advice.

2. Every player has a maximum limit of 14 clubs to bring in his
or her golf bag when playing the course. Occasionally, a golf club
may break and replacing this club is allowed, so long as it is
quick and does not interfere or delay the game. In addition,
regulations also state that if you purposely break a club out of
frustration, you cannot replace it.

3. All players must tee up their ball in the prescribed tee area.

4. You are not allowed to fix any of the spike marks that may be
between your ball and the playing hole on the green.
Spikes from golf shoes occasionally leave a mark, but this is just
considered a challenging hazard. Once the ball is in the hole,
you may then fix the marks.

And being considerate to fix these marks is good etiquette for the
next round of players passing through.

5. If there is frost or morning dew on the putting green, you cannot
wipe it away. It must be left alone.

6. On the first hole, the order of people who play will be determined
by drawing lots. The following holes are played in the order of players
with the best score. Then the player who has the second-best score goes
next, then the third, etc.

If there happens to be a tie, the player who had the better score on the
previous hole is the one that tees off first. At all other times on the
course, the order of players is determined by the furthest ball away from
the whole, with the farthest going first, then the second farthest, etc.

7. You can never putt your ball while another player’s ball is
still moving.

8. If you make a shot and the ball is literally lying on the edge of
the cup, you have 10 seconds to wait until the ball drops in. Once the
10 seconds is over, you must give it another stroke. And if the ball
happens to drop in after the 10 seconds is up, but before you actually
make your putt, it is then considered an additional stroke.

Golf Rules - Unplayable Golf Shots & The Rules That Dictate Them

When playing golf, there will invariably be times when the ball just doesn’t go towards the desired target. And when it happens, there are specific rules that determine what your next move will be. Below are three scenarios which involve shots that are unplayable, man-made obstructions, and loose impediments.

When The Ball Is Unplayable

Whenever you face a shot that is totally impossible to hit, it is called an “unplayable lie”. The rules of golf state that you must penalize yourself by one stroke. It is inevitable that you will occasionally get a shot where the golf ball ends up stuck under a tree root, inside a bush, etc.

These types of scenarios are classified as unplayable lie areas. In other words, it is impossible to make the shot. Since you are the one to determine whether or not the ball is playable, you do have the choice to make the shot if you wish. However, most of the time you are much better off taking the penalty and moving on.

Man-Made (Artificial Obstructions)

Not all rules involving unfortunate shots end up penalizing you. When it comes to artificial distractions, you are actually relieved from these man-made hazards without having a penalty.

What is a man-made artificial obstruction? It is simply anything that is on the golf course which gets in the way of you making your shot.

Notice that we say “artificial” or “man-made”. Such items would be, for example, a lawn mower, golf cart, a rake, basically anything that is unnatural and prohibits you from hitting the ball. You have the opportunity to either move the ball or move the object out of the way and then make your shot, all without a penalty.

Loose Impediments

loose impediments, as defined by the official golf rulebook, are naturally occurring objects which are not securely embedded in the ground, such as rocks, leaves, branches, etc.

If any of these types of objects are in your way, you may remove them so long as the ball itself is not moved. By moving the ball, you have just given yourself a one-stroke penalty.

Do not mistake items which are still growing as loose impediments. For example, a particular patch of grass or a plant that is obviously embedded in the ground cannot be just ripped out in order for you to make your shot. That would be considered cheating. Other such items which cannot be classified as loose impediments and removed are replaced divots and loose soil (on the fairway).

Golf Rules - What Is A Lateral Water Hazard?

A lateral water hazard is an unfortunate shot in which
you must penalize yourself by one stroke.

Always marked by red stakes, a lateral water hazard is
located on the sides of the hole and is positioned between
yourself and the flagstick.

A small stream may border the hole and could be considered
a lateral hazard. Other times, a lateral hazard itself may
not be made up of water, but could be a dried up riverbed,
ditch, or swamp.

Whatever the area is made of, it will be marked by red stakes
or simply spray painted as a red line on the grass.

Just like any standard water hazard, you are entitled to attempt
to hit the ball out of a lateral water hazard area if you think
you can make it. However, if a shot is looking totally unplayable,
you have four choices:

1. You may drop the golf ball behind the water area.
Your choice here is to drop the ball at any place behind the
lateral water hazard onto a virtual line. This virtual line
should be running from the hole to the exact area where the
ball entered the water.

2. You may replay your shot. Simply stated, you have the
opportunity to just go back to the same area in which you
originally shot the ball from and play it over.

3. You may drop the ball within the same length, or less,
of two clubs where the ball crossed over the line of the
lateral hazard. This is called a “2-club drop”.

4. Lastly, similar to the 2-club drop, you may choose an
area on the opposite side of your lateral water hazard
and then place the ball within the lengths of two clubs
from that point. Basically, you’re utilizing the 2-club
drop on the opposite side of the water area.

Lost Balls & Common Courtesy On The Golf Course

What happens if you lose your ball from a bad shot?

Specific golf regulations state that when a ball is
lost from a shot that you made, you have to start over
again at the exact location in which you hit the ball from,
and make the shot again.

In addition to this rule, you must also add a penalty
stroke to your score card.

Beginners typically have a very tough time with this
rule because, as most newbie golfers play, many of their
shots have a tendency to veer far left or far right of
their intended target. When this happens, golf balls may
get lost in ravines, deep bushes, high grass, or any other
area that seems to enjoy eating golf balls.

Unfortunately, you’re only next move is to start over
again and penalize yourself.

Avoid Searching For The Ball If You Think It Is Lost

Etiquette on the golf course in this type of situation
calls for some common sense in the ability to avoid
wasting both your time and the other players’ time by
looking for the ball.

Most often you can tell after making a shot whether or
not the golf ball is lost, or at least if it will take
a long time to find.

The best course of action is to stop, let your partners
know that you think the ball is lost, and then make the
shot over again from the same area (called a provisional ball).

The advantage here is that you avoid wasting time with
looking for the ball in the first place.

Sometimes, searching for those tiny little golf balls can
be the equivalent to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Trust me, your friends will appreciate proper etiquette.

You May Choose To Look For The Lost Ball After Your Provisional Shot

Of course you can still go looking for the lost ball, only after hitting your provisional shot, so long the new shot lands on the fairway somewhere near where the other ball went out of bounds.

The regulations state that you have just five minutes to take a look and recruit your friends to help you. If you do not find the ball, you must continue with the provisional ball. However, if you do find the ball then you must play the ball as your next shot, even if the provisional ball is in a much better position.

The Rules Of The Sand Bunker: A World Of Its Own On The Course

The sand bunker is like a world of its own - with special rules that every player must abide by or else suffer the consequences. Bunkers are considered to be hazards on the golf course and before you can even think about making your stroke, you cannot:

1) Touch the sand with your club (or your hands).
2) Test the conditions of the hazard.
3) Touch any loose impediments that are located in the bunker.

These three key rules mean that you must be extremely careful not to accidentally let your club graze the top of the sand when getting into your stance. And if you decide to take a practice swing then you had better make sure the club does not hit the sand. If you do then you will receive a penalty: 2 strokes in a medal play and the loss of your hole in a match play.

Waste Bunkers

Many courses have what are called waste bunkers. Waste bunkers are areas that contain sand, small rocks and pebbles, and are not usually maintained like the rest of the course.

These areas are also not considered hazards so you are able to take practice swings without fear of hitting the sand and receiving a penalty.

If you enjoy playing your golf by the official rules (as outlined by the United States Golf Association) then you are aware what the rules state about hitting the flagstick when playing from the green.

For those of you who do not know, any ball played from the green that hits the flagstick is a two-stoke penalty (or a loss of the hole during match play).

The key is to remove the flagstick when your ball is on the green, so long as you can see the hole. Have your partner, or caddie(if you’re lucky enough to have one), watch over the flagstick by standing next to the hole to remove it once your putt has been made (before the ball reaches the hole).

Train Your Caddies (and Your Partners)

Attentive caddies, and partners alike, should know that when overlooking the flagstick during a long putt, they should twist the pin and pull it from the hole before you stroke the putt. There are times when the bottom of the hole is cluttered and sticky from dirt, so you don’t want the pin to get stuck while the ball is in motion. The pin may not be pulled in time and you will suffer a two-stroke penalty.

We have also heard stories about times when someone tending the pin yanked it out, along with the entire cup lining from the hole, which of course impeded the golf ball from rolling into the hole and caused the putter to earn a two-stroke penalty.

(…I hate it when that happens… )

Hit ‘em straight (and get that flag out of the way)

The official rules of golf state that when playing your shots from the green, you have to make an important decision regarding the flagstick. You have to decide whether you would like to remove the pin from a hole or leave it in and have your golf partner or
caddie watch over it.

This may not seem like a hard decision, but what happens when you have to play a very short shot, what should you do? There is no right or wrong answer to this question, however there are definitely pros and cons to making each choice. Here are a few scenarios to help you make an informed decision about whether or not to remove
the flagstick when the time comes:

Pulling The Flagstick

Pros: The benefit of removing the flagstick is that you totally clear the pathway of the hole so that the ball can make it inside without any obstructions getting in the way. When the pin is removed, there is no worry about the ball bouncing against the flagstick and back out of the hole, which can be very upsetting to watch.

Cons: If you just made a shot and the ball is heading directly for the hole, but is moving too fast, it now has an opportunity to roll right over, skipping the hole entirely.

Keeping The Flagstick Inside

Pros: If you decide to keep the flagstick in the hole, it can serve a good purpose by blocking a ball which is traveling at high speeds. Also, you may even sink the ball into the hole as a result of the pin remaining inside, due to it stopping the ball from passing over so fast.

Cons: If you do not remove the flagstick, it may prevent the ball from falling into the hole. It may bounce right off of the pin and depending upon the terrain of the green, especially if it is downhill from the hole, the ball may roll far away from the intended target.

Last Minute Tip: As we stated earlier, there is no hard and fast rule to making the decision of whether or not to remove the flagstick. We have given you some sensible pros and cons when it comes to the flagstick, but you must also keep stock of other variables on the course you are playing on. Take note of the green. You may want to leave the
flagstick in the hole when hitting the ball on a downhill slope, or leave the pin in if you are making a shot up hill towards the hole.

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Hit ‘em straight

Ben

Did you know that there are literally hundreds of printed rules
that pertain to the game of golf?

In fact, the United States Golf Association (USGA) releases an updated
official golf rulebook every year that contains approximately 100 pages
of rules that every golfer should be familiar with.

It would behoove of you to purchase one as soon as possible.
The booklet is pocket-sized so you can carry it around with you while playing on the course.

It is important that all beginners sit down and become quite familiar
with the USGA rule booklet.  It is filled with a list of do’s and don’ts
when playing golf, clauses, subclauses, basically everything you need to
know, and then some.

The reason why there is so much power-packed information and rules associated
with golf is because the game itself has evolved over hundreds of years and
its rules have had to be amended and changed over the course of time.

Rules, Rules, & Then Some…

One of its key features is providing material in order to help resolve disputes.
The USGA rule booklet not only provides specific information pertaining to every
rule of golf in existence, it also provides official explanations of everything
else that pertains to the game, including golf equipment, the type of game being
played, and accurate specifications of the course.

No More Disputes!

Without a doubt one of the most important reasons to carry along an official
USGA rule booklet while playing golf is to use it to help resolve and avoid
disputes with other players.

Like all sports, your golf game will have its share of debates with your fellow
players. Instead of arguing back and forth about what is supposed to be the rules,
by quickly thumbing through your official guide will put to rest any confusion, and fast!

You can find more information about the United States Golf Association by checking
out usga.org. This is the official website of the USGA and provides a complete and
up-to-date rulebook, in addition to info on the handicap system, tournaments, and a
tour of the golf museum.

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Hit ‘em straight

Ben

For those of you golfers out there who like to play according to the official rulebook…

(which should be ALL of you, right? )

…there is are specific regulations devoted to using a putter on the course.

So what is the rule when you damage your putter?

Well, the rule states that if a putter is damaged during normal game play, it can be replaced.

OK, to be honest, I’m not sure how a normal game of golf can damage a club, but I do know that a bad temper and an angry swing at the ground can certainly ruin a perfectly good putter! :-0

That brings me to the next part of the rule concerning damaged putters. If you do happen to damage your putter out of anger, which is not considered to be the result of normal game play then you cannot replace it.

Sorry!!!

According to the regulations, you have to stop using the putter without finding a replacement. So I guess that means you have to putt with your 3 iron

The best practice is to calm yourself and avoid getting angry on the course. However, it is not uncommon to have a bad day. Even the professionals are known to blow their tops. Woody Austin, who won the 2004 Buick Championship, actually bent his putter’s shaft when he missed an important putt.

So it can happen to the best of us. Just try so stay calm, OK?

Hit ‘em straight

Ben

Artificial obstructions on the golf course are made up of anything man-made that gets in the way of the ball. There are two types of artificial obstructions that you will find; movable obstructions and immovable obstructions.

Movable Obstructions: Movable obstructions can be anything such as a cigarette, a soda can, shovel, food wrappers, etc. These items can be simply removed from the course so that you can play your ball from where it lies. If any of these objects are actually touching the ball, then you are allowed to mark the spot, lift the ball up, remove the item, then put the ball back in the original position.

 Immovable Obstructions: The second type of artificial obstruction is known as the immovable type. Such examples include large trailers, sprinkler heads, bleachers, etc. Basically, anything that is too large or heavy to be moved by a golf player is considered an immovable obstruction. If your ball happens to land in or underneath one of these items then you are allowed to move the ball back into play without being penalized