Rules Guide

Teeing Ground (Rule 11)

  • The teeing ground is the starting place for the hole to be played. The teeing ground is marked by two objects that will be two club lengths apart. You must tee the ball within the two markers and can go as far back as two club lengths. You are not allowed to go in front of the two markers. If you play your tee shot from outside the teeing ground, you incur a two-stroke penalty and replay your shot from within the teeing ground.

Identifying Ball (Rule 12)

  • Players should mark their ball with a pen to be able to identify it compared to other players in the group. If you think a ball is yours but cannot see your identification mark, you may mark and lift the ball to identify it as long as you alert the person keeping your score or a fellow competitor.

Ball Played as it Lies (Rule 13)

  • Play the ball as it lies. Don’t improve your lie, stance, area of your intended swing or your line of play by moving, bending or breaking anything fixed or growing. If a branch or other object is bended or moves due to you taking your normal stance, this is allowed. Don’t improve your lie by pressing anything down.

Ball in Hazard (Rule 13-4)

  • If your ball is in a bunker or a water hazard, don’t touch the ground in either type of hazard, or touch water in the water hazard, with your hand or club before your downswing and don’t move loose impediments such as leaves or stones.

Striking the BallĀ (Rule 14)

  • You must swing the club and make a stroke at the ball. It is not permissible to push, scrape or scoop the ball.

Substituted Ball; Wrong Ball (Rule 15)

  • If you play a wrong ball play you incur a two-stroke penalty and you must then correct the mistake by playing the correct ball. There is no penalty for playing a wrong ball out of a water hazard, however you must correct the mistake by playing the correct ball.