Rules of Golf: 16-32

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Rule 16: The Putting Green

If any part of your ball is touching the green, it is on the green. When your ball is on the green, you may brush away leaves and other loose impediments, but otherwise do not touch your line of putt. You may repair ball marks or old hole plugs, but do not repair marks made by spikes or shoes before playing. Always mark your ball by putting a small coin or other marker behind it when you want to pick it up to clean it or get out of another player’s way. If your ball overhangs the edge of the hole you can wait ten seconds to see if it drops in. If it falls in after 10 seconds, add a penalty stroke to your score.

Rule 17: The Flagstick

If your ball is played from off the green, there is no penalty if your ball strikes the flagstick, provided no one is attending it. If your ball is on the green, do not putt with the flagstick in the hole. Either take the flagstick out or ask another player to hold it and take it out when you play your ball. In match play, if you putt and your ball hits the flagstick when it is in the hole, you lose the hole. In stroke play, you must add two penalty strokes to your score.

Rule 18 : Ball is Moved

If you or your partner touches or moves your ball on purpose or accidentally, add a penalty stroke to your score and replace the ball. If you don’t replace it, add two penalty strokes. If someone or something else moves your ball there is no penalty, but you must replace it. If the ball is moved by wind or water, you must play it as it lies.

Rule 19: Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped

If your ball hits you, your partner, your caddie, or your equipment you are penalized one stroke and you must play your ball as it lies. In match play, if your ball hits your opponent, his caddie, or his equipment, there is no penalty; you may play the ball as it lies or replay the shot. In stroke play, if your ball hits a fellow competitor, caddie, his equipment or anything else there is no penalty and the ball is played as it lies.

If your ball hits another ball and moves it, you must play your ball as it lies. The owner of the other ball must replace it. If your ball is on the green when you play and the ball that your ball hits is also on the green, you are penalized two strokes in stroke play.

Rule 20: Lifting and Dropping the Ball

If you are going to lift your ball under a Rule and the Rule requires that the ball be replaced, you must put a ball-marker by the ball before you lift it. When you drop a ball, stand erect and hold your arm out straight when dropping it. If a dropped ball hits the ground and rolls into a hazard, out of a hazard, comes to rest more than two club-lengths from where it first struck a part of the course, nearer the hole or, if you are dropping away from an immovable obstruction or ground under repair, etc., back where the obstruction or ground under repair still interferes with your stance or swing, you must re-drop. If you play a ball from a wrong place, you lose the hole in match play, or two penalty strokes in stroke play.

Rule 21: Cleaning the Ball

You may clean your ball when you lift it, with a few exceptions: when you are checking if it is unfit for play, identifying it, or if it either interferes with or assists another player’s play.

Rule 22: Ball Interfering with or Assisting Play

If another ball interferes with your swing or is on your line of play, you may ask the owner of the ball to lift it

Rule 23 : Loose Impediments

Loose impediments are natural objects that are not growing or fixed – such as loose leaves, twigs, fallen branches, stones and insects. (Exception see Rule 12-1)

Rule 24: Obstructions

Obstructions are artificial or man-made objects. Bottles, cans, rakes, etc., are movable obstructions. Sprinkler heads, shelters, cart paths, etc., are immovable obstructions. Movable obstructions anywhere on the course may be removed.

Rule 25: Casual Water; Ground Under Repair; Animal Holes

Casual water is any temporary water caused by rain or over-watering. Ground under repair is any damaged area, which the Committee has marked as such. If your ball or your stance is in casual water, ground under repair or a burrowing animal hole, you may either play the ball as it lies or find the nearest place not nearer the hole which gives you relief, and drop the ball within one club-length of that place. If your ball is in casual water, etc., and you cannot find it, determine where the ball entered the area and drop a ball within one club-length of that place without penalty. If your ball is on the wrong putting green, find the nearest place off the green, not nearer the hole, and drop the ball within one club-length of that place.

Rule 26: Water Hazards

Water hazard margins are identified by yellow stakes or lines. Lateral water hazard margins are identified by red stakes or lines. If your ball is in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, you may play it as it lies. If you cannot find it or do not wish to play it, add a penalty stroke and do one of the following:

a. drop and play another ball from where you last played;

b. drop a ball behind the water hazard as far back as you wish on a straight line from the hole, keeping where your ball last crossed the hazard margin between the hole and where you drop the ball;

c. if it’s a lateral water hazard, you may also drop a ball within two club-lengths of where the ball last crossed the hazard margin, no nearer to the hole.

Rule 27 : Ball Lost or Out of Bounds

A ball is lost if it is not found within five minutes after you first begin to search or you have put another ball into play. A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies beyond the inside line of objects such as white stakes, or a fence or wall that marks the boundary of the course. If your ball is lost or out of bounds, you must add a penalty stroke to your score and play another ball from where you played your last shot (known as “stroke and distance”). If you think your ball may be lost or out of bounds, you may play a provisional ball from the place where your first ball was played. You must tell your opponent or fellow-competitor that you are playing a provisional ball and play it before you leave the area to look for the first ball. If you cannot find your first ball or if it is out of bounds, you must count all the strokes with the first ball and provisional ball, add a penalty stroke and play out the hole with the provisional ball. If you find your first ball in bounds, you must continue play with it and pick up the provisional ball.

Rule 28: Ball Unplayable

If your ball is under a bush or in some other bad situation and you decide you cannot play it, add a penalty stroke and do one of the following:

a. Go back to where you played the last shot and play a ball from there;

b. Go back on a straight line as far as you wish, keeping where the unplayable ball

lay between the hole and where you drop the ball;

c. Measure two club-lengths from where the unplayable ball lay, drop a ball and play from there.

Rules 29, 30, 31, 32: Other Forms of Play

Threesomes, foursomes: Partners play alternately at one ball. If you play out of turn you lose the hole in match play (or incur two penalty strokes in stroke play). Penalties do not alter the order of play. Three-ball, four-ball, better-ball; Each player plays his own ball. A player may play alone if his partner cannot be there. Partners may choose to play in any order. Stableford: A stroke play event using a points-scoring system rather than total strokes. It is not necessary to hole out on every hole.