(1) STARTING THE HOLE
and ESTABLISHING "IN PLAY"
a. The ball is considered "in play" once the first shot has been struck
on each hole.
b. A player may tee the ball with a wooden peg between and behind the
tees and no farther
back than two club lengths. A player may or may not use a tee to start
play on each hole.
If the ball falls off the tee before the player starts his backswing,
there is no penalty.
If a player's ball falls off the tee during his swing, the player may
strike the ball then play
the ball as it lies with no penalty. If the player whiffs the ball after
it has fallen off the tee
during the swing, the player must count the swing as a shot taken but
may re-tee the ball.
A player teeing off in front of the markers must re-hit the shot with
a one-stroke penalty.
c. The ball shall be played as it lies from tee to green and also upon
the green until the
final shot lands into the cup.
d. A player may play a different ball upon start of the next hole without
penalty.
e. A player may rotate the ball for identification purposes only, but
may not lift or change its
position.
f. A player failing to make the designated tee time will be assessed
a two-stroke penalty
and will continue play as directed by the event's committee. A player
will be considered
late once any single player in his or her designated group has played
a second shot.
(2) RELIEF WITH THE BALL BEING "IN PLAY"
a. A player may move the ball under wet conditions as would be known
as casual water,
or excessive mud on the ball only if the ball lies clearly upon an area
commonly known
as the fairway, or if the ball has been imbedded in a hole of its own
making.
If a player chooses to move the ball, the player must
move the ball a minimum of 15 yards
backwards to a dry area, and drop the ball over the shoulder while facing
the hole without
penalty (see rule 3a).
A player may also take relief if the ball comes to rest on top a sprinkler
head. (see rule 3a)
not closer to the hole, without penalty.
c. A player may remove loose impediments but may not improve his lie.
If the ball moves
from its position, the rules of golf consider a stroke to have been
taken.
d. The player may, without penalty, touch his ball with his club in
the act of addressing it,
providing he does not move the ball.
e. A ball at rest moved by an outside source, e.g. the gallery, the
wind, may be replaced
nearest its last known location without penalty.
f. Any movable obstruction may be removed.
(3) DROPPING PROCEDURE:
a. A player taking any drop, must face the hole and drop the ball
over the shoulder.
(4) PLAYING THE BALL AND PROCEDURES FOR "OUT
OF PLAY"
a. The ball may be declared "out of play" at any time on the course
at the player's discretion.
If a ball is lost in an area deemed unplayable, or found but the player
decides not to take a
stroke at the ball in its position, the player may use the following
procedures to put the ball
back "in play".
(4-1) Declaration of "Out of Play " from the tee
a. A player may choose to strike another shot from the teeing area if
the player thinks the ball
is lost or will not be playable. The first shot is considered a stroke,
therefore the player will be
playing the second stroke. If a player claims the first ball is "out
of play", the option of finding
the first ball and playing it is given up.
(4-2) Declaration of "Out of Play " beyond the
tee
a. If a player deems the ball "out of play" at any point beyond the
teeing area, the player
must locate a spot in the fairway not nearer the hole then take 30 yard-like
steps backward
from the hole then drop the ball over the shoulder while facing the
hole. If another player in
the group thinks the player did not take the 30 appropriate yard-like
steps, the other player,
opponent or playing partner, may take those steps as well to establish
the new "in play"
position of the ball. The player takes a one-stroke penalty and then
may continue to play
the hole from the new "in play" position. Once a player has left the
tee, the golfer may not go
back to the tee to strike another ball unless that first ball traveled
less than 30 yards. This will
be known as the "30-yard exemption".
b. If a player chooses the 30-yard penalty for either an "out of play"
ball (one-stroke penalty) or
a distance-only (no-stroke) penalty such as casual water or divot hole
or other unsatisfactory
"in play" or fairway condition, and the 30-yard penalty puts the player
in a situation that would
be hazardous, watery, or in an area of the course that would be considered
unkept or unlike
the condition of the fairway, the player does not have to travel the
entire distance. Thus, if
such a distance is not possible, the player may drop the ball as close
to the conditional area as
would allow the player a fair and reasonable "in play" or fairway-like
situation. This is assuming
the position is not nearer the hole than the last known location of
the previously stroked ball.
c. A player may declare his ball unfit for play at any time during play
of a hole and replace that
ball with a new one as close to the original position as possible, and
incur a one-stroke penalty.
(5) ADDITIONAL PENALTIES
a. A player striking a wrong ball shall consider a stroke to have been
taken, and then must
continue to play the correct ball. The wrong ball must be replaced nearest
its last known position.
b. If a player's ball strikes himself, his equipment (including cart)
or his caddie, the penalty shall be
one stroke, and the ball shall be played from where it lies.
c. If a competitor’s ball strikes another player, or the opponent's
equipment or caddie, it is
considered the ‘rub of the green,’ and the ball shall be
played from where it lies.
d. A player may not ground his club in a sand trap or water trap. Penalty
is one stroke.
e. <duplicate of c, deleted>
f. A maximum of 14 clubs may be used to play golf as defined in Rules
of Equipment.
g. A player or a competitor shall not give or ask for advice, or take
any action which may result in
his receiving advice, except from his caddie, his partner, or his partner's
caddie. Wrongful advice
penalty is one stroke.
h. A player is always entitled to place the feet firmly on the ground
when taking the stance, but is
not allowed to build a stance. A player building a stance will be penalized
one stroke.
i. Ball to be "Fairly Struck":
The ball shall be "fairly struck" with the head of the club and must
not be pushed, scraped or spooned.
A ball not "fairly struck", must be replayed from its original position,
incurring a one-stroke penalty.
j. Striking the Ball Twice:
If the player strikes the ball twice when making a stroke, one stroke
shall be counted and a penalty
stroke added, making two strokes in all.
k. A player may not intentionally strike a moving ball. The penalty
is two strokes and the ball must be
replayed from nearest its last known position.
l. A player shall not practice by hitting extra shots on the course
or putting on the greens while the
round is being played. The penalty is one stroke.
m. If a player's ball moves after it has been addressed, it shall be
played as it now lies and a stroke is
deemed to have been taken.
(6) PUTTING PROCEDURES
a. A ball is considered holed when the ball reaches and remains in the
bottom of the cup.
A ball found at rest against the flagstick is considered holed should
the ball fall into the cup if the
flagstick is gently removed.
b. A player may not draw a line on the green, nor may a caddie stand
behind the golfer to aid in
alignment. The penalty is one stroke.
c. A player may mark the ball's location on the green with a coin or
other marker and may clean the
ball in preparation for the act of putting. If the player's marker must
be moved for another player to
make a stroke, and the player fails to replace the marker before putting,
it is considered a stroke
taken and the player shall add one stroke to the score.
If a player's ball strikes that of another player's upon the green,
the stroke must be replayed from
its original position, and a stroke is deemed to have been taken.
The struck ball must be replaced
in its original location.
d. A player may putt with or without the flagstick in the hole. If the
ball is off the green, the flagstick
must be in the hole. A player may not start the putt with the
flagstick in the hole then have the flagstick
removed while the ball is rolling (i.e. attended flagstick).
Likewise, a player may not have the flagstick removed from the hole
then have it replaced as the ball approaches. The player must decide
whether the flagstick is to be in or out of the hole before stroking
the putt.
e. A player may not roll a ball across the green by hand.
f. A player may not straddle the line of a putt while making the stroke.
g. A player may fix ball marks or tap down spike marks on the green
but may not scrape the green
in any way to test the grain or texture of the grass. The penalty is
one stroke.
A player may repair the cup to return it to proper shape and function,
but may not enlarge it or
depress the edges of the cup. The penalty is one stroke.
h. When any part of the ball overhangs the lip of the hole, the player
is allowed enough time to reach
the hole without unreasonable delay and an additional ten seconds to
determine whether the ball is at
rest. If the ball falls into the hole in the time beyond ten seconds,
a stroke is considered to have been
taken.
(7) SCORING AND SCORECARD
a. An official course record or tournament scorecard must have at least
two signatures.
b. A player must keep the score of an opponent. In the event of
a dispute, the players must come
to a resolution of the conflict, and may call for the help of a referee
or rules official. Once two
signatures are on the card, the score stands.
(8) CADDIES, CARTS, ARTIFICIAL AIDS, ADVICE
a. A player may carry his or her own clubs, pull a cart or use a caddy
in the fine tradition of the game.
b. A player may use a caddy and may take advice aid only from his or
her own caddy, including the
reading of putts.
c. A player may not use any artificial aids outside of what would be
normal for a golfer striking a shot.
This would include any scopes or outside measuring devices for distance
calculations other than
those defined in the nature of the markings of the course.
d. A player may use an organic hand warmer, but not a battery-operated
or otherwise electronic
hand warmer. The penalty shall be one stroke per hole the aid
is used.
e. A player may use a glove to assist in gripping the club, or may wrap
the grip with a small cloth if
needed. A player may not have an umbrella placed overhead while making
a stroke.
f. A player may use shoes equipped with spikes not longer than one inch,
and no more than twelve
per shoe in number.
(9) RULES OF EQUIPMENT
a. A player may not carry more than 14 clubs.
b. A player must carry at least two wooden-headed clubs.
c. A player may not carry more than one putter.
d. No club shall exceed 44 inches in length.
e. No club shall exceed a loft of 56 degrees.
f. No club shall have a total dead weight of less than 13 ounces.
g. Shafts of golf clubs must be made of either wood, steel, or aluminum,
and exhibit the patterns
of traditional stepping. Only wood-shafted clubs may exhibit a
smooth shaft property.
Driving Clubs:
h. Driving clubs must be made of wood, pear-shaped, as in the tradition
of the game.
i. The clubface or hitting area of a wooden driver may not be more than
3 inches wide and 2 inches
in height.
j. Driving clubs shall have a total dead weight of at least 13 ounces.
k. No Driving club shall exceed 44 inches in length.
Iron Specifications:
l. Irons must be within the game's tradition of forged metal (blades),
and must not exhibit the
presence of any perimeter weighting in an attempt to enlarge the sweetspot
of the clubhead.
m. Irons may not have milled or textured faces other than v-shaped grooves
within the fine
tradition of the game. Box-shaped grooves are not allowed.
n. No iron shall have a total dead weight of less than 14.5 ounces.
o. An iron must have a shank area where the shaft protrudes onto the
hitting face of the club.
p. Irons must not exceed 3 inches from the toe to the start of the shank,
unless the club was
produced prior to 1950 (the "grandfather clause"), in which case the
toe to shank measurement
may be up to 3 1/2 inches.
q. Face depth may not exceed 2 inches when the club is properly grounded,
excluding the loft
of the clubface.
Putters:
r. A putter shall not exceed 38 inches in length.
s. The width of a putter clubface shall not exceed 4 1/2 inches in width,
two inches in depth,
and two inches in height.
An Equipment violation shall be one stroke penalty per hole played
per club.
(10) ADVICE
a. A player may give or receive advice from another player, but is not
required to do so.
(11) GOLF COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR TRADITIONAL
TOURNAMENT PLAY
(REGULATION COURSE)
a. A regulation golf course must have 18 holes with a total par of 70
or more.
b. A golf course may not have more than 5 three-pars, no more than 5
five-pars, and a
minimum of 8 four-pars. A golf course may have only 1 six-par.
c. No three-par may exceed a distance of 230 yards.
d. No four-par may exceed a distance of 470 yards.
e. No five-par may exceed a distance of 600 yards.
f. No six-par may exceed a distance of 750 yards.
g. A regulation golf course may not exceed 7,000 yards in total length,
tee to mid-green.
h. A regulation golf course must be a minimum of 6000 yards in total
length, tee to mid-green.
I. Putting greens must be a minimum of 30 feet in both width and depth.
j. The hole must be cut at 4 1/4 inches in diameter no closer than 6
feet to any edge of the green,
with the cup itself one inch below the surface of the ground.
The cup within the hole must be able to host a flagstick.
The flagstick must be a minimum of 6 feet in height and a maximum of
8 feet.
The flagstick must have a flag attached to the top.
k. The putting green must have an obviously shorter cut of grass than
either the fairway or teeing
areas.