| Settle your disputes quickly and fairly
with Gocaddie.com's quick reference rules! You'll find them here and in every Gocaddie
Statscard!
For
a complete list of the USGA golf rules, check out their website at
www.usga.com/rules/index.html.
Before you
tee-off
a)
It's usually a good idea to confirm with your playing partners which ball
you'll each be playing that day. This will avoid any confusion later if
one of you happens to play a ball close to another's - play someone elses
ball and you'll be penalized (2 Strokes)! With the number
of golfer's hitting the links these days, it may even be a good idea to
mark your ball with a unique symbol (a permanent marker works great!)
b)
If required, announce your handicap to the other players for scorekeeping
purposes.
c)
Decide which game format you'll be playing: Match or Stoke (In match play,
each hole awards a winner for the player with the lowest score. The player
with the most hole wins, wins the round. In stroke play, the player with
the lowest overall score is the winner.)
Ball Play
a)
In general, you may not move ore touch the ball during play. There are
some exceptions to this rule such as when the ball is embedded in the
fairway, in which case you're permitted to lift the ball, clean any dirt
from its surface, and replace near its landed position.
b)
As the saying goes, "Play it as it lies". This is another tricky
rule, which in general states that you cannot improve the lie of the ball,
nor disturb the ground around the area of the ball when addressing the
ball (2 Strokes). This is especially true if your ball is
in a bunker or water hazard!
c)
Practice shots are not permitted before shots (not to mistaken with
practice "swings"). You can however practice your chipping
between holes, so long as it does not slow down play.
d)
You're on your own! In other words you aren't permitted to accept or offer
advice to any other players (2 Strokes).
e)
Be honest! If you broke a rule, it's your duty to advice your opponent so
that they can adjust the score accordingly.
f)
On that same note, if your opponent breaks a rule, you have until the end
of that hole to call them on it. Once the hole is complete, it's too late!
On the Green
a)
Once you're on the green, you can't touch the green immediately in
the path of your ball - you can however repair any ball marks. Spike marks
can only be fixed at the completion of the hole (2 Strokes).
b)
You can pick up your ball to clean it or to remove it from another
player's putting path. Simply replace the ball with a small marker (a
quarter) directly behind the ball (1 Stroke).
c)
It's your responsibility to remove the flag before putting. If it hits the
flag during your putt, you'll be penalized (2 Strokes).
Ball Rules
a)
If you or your caddie move the ball either when it has come to rest, or
when in motion, you'll be penalized (1 Stroke). If
however, someone else moves the ball (say, your groupies at the side of
the fairway) when it's at rest, then you can simply replace the ball to
its original position. If the ball's in motion and it deflects off
someone, then simply play it as it lies (and pray that the person is
alright!).
b)
Sometimes, the need may arise where you can lift your ball, say if the
ball is in the immediate striking path of another persons ball, or if it's
in an area of repair, or near the entrance of an animal den.
c)
In general it's alright to move obstacles from around your ball, and from
around your swing path. Careful though - if you decide to move a natural
obstacle (like a leaf, or stone) from within one club length of your ball,
and the ball moves, you'll be penalized (1 Stroke). The
only time where this doesn't apply, is if the obstacle is man-made (say, a
rake). The few exceptions to this rule are if your ball is in a bunker or
in a water hazard, in which case you must play it as it lies.
d)
If you decide that your ball is unplayable, you can move the ball within
two club lengths from the spot (equidistant from the hole), or you can
play the ball from the spot prior to its last position (1 Stroke).
Water Hazards
a)
In general, if your ball finds its way into a water hazard you can do one
of two things: play it from its original spot (1 Stroke),
or play it behind the hazard, from a point equidistant to the hole (1
Stroke).
Out of Bounds
a)
Lost your ball? You've got five minutes before its called automatically
out of bounds in which case take a one stroke penalty and play it from its
last position (1 Stroke).
b)
Out of bounds? One stroke penalty, and play it from its last position (1
Stroke).
c)
Not sure? Take a provisional shot (let everyone know first) - if you can't
find the original, then take a one stroke penalty, and continue play with
your new ball (1 Stroke).
|
