It’s time to look directly at the rules of golf. Before the round starts:
Read the local regulations that will be given to you on the relevant card.
Put your mark on the ball. Many golfers play with the same balls. If during the game you could not identify your ball, it is considered lost.
Count your clubs. You cannot have more than 14 clubs.
During the game, you can only ask for advice from your partner or caddy. You can only give advice to your partner. Practice hits during the game are prohibited.
Tee shot
To put the ball into play, you need to place it between the corresponding markers. It is allowed to put the ball behind the markers (the distance should not exceed two sticks), but in front it is prohibited.
In match play, a hit outside the agreed zone will not incur a penalty, but the opponent has the right to ask to be interrupted. In play, a two-stroke penalty is imposed on the score for this violation.
Ball game
The rules of golf say that you must hit the ball from the position in which it stopped. It is forbidden to move the ball and disturb the appearance of the vegetation in order to improve your position. It is possible to touch plants only in the process of taking a stance for impact and directly upon impact.
If the ball ended up in a “bunker” (sand area) or hit a water hazard, touching the surface of these elements is allowed only when moving towards the ball with the aim of hitting. Playing the wrong ball will result in loss of the hole in match play and a two-stroke penalty in score play.
On the putting green
If there are marks from old holes or balls on the putt line, they can be corrected. Other damage, including footprints, must not be touched. A golf ball in this area can be picked up and cleaned, provided it is returned to the same place.
Checking the surface of the “green” by touch or rolling the ball is prohibited. If the ball hits the flag pole on a stroke, the hole is lost in match play and a penalty of two strokes in score play.
The ball has moved
If the golf ball has been moved by you, your partner or assistant in any way not provided for by the rules, you must return it to its original place and add 1 penalty stroke. The same must be done if the ball has changed position while preparing to hit. If the ball is moved by an opponent or another ball, simply replace it.
The ball changed direction in motion
If, while moving, the ball stops or changes its course through your own fault or through the fault of your partner or helper, you lose the hole in match play and receive two penalty strokes in score play. In the second case, the ball beats from the place where it ended up.
If the ball has changed its trajectory or stopped due to the fault of third parties, then you can continue to play it without any sanctions from the place where it ended up.
But there are some exceptions here. Firstly, in match play, you have the right to repeat the shot from the previous position if the opponent or his assistant is at fault for changing the direction of the ball. Second, in stroke play, if the ball changes direction on the putting green, you must repeat it.
If a ball struck has collided with another ball that was at rest, play may continue without imposition of a sanction. However, in scoring play, if both balls were on the putting green, a two-stroke penalty is assessed for collisions
Lifting and dropping the ball
If the ball is lifted to be placed in its original place, its position must be fixed with a marker.
If the ball hits a repaired area, random water, a hole or garbage made by animals (for example, rabbits), it is allowed to throw it into the field, at a distance not more than the length of one club from the nearest free spot. Throwing the ball into the hole is prohibited.
If the position of the ball would impair the play of either player, the ball may be lifted. And vice versa – if any ball interferes with you, you can demand that it be lifted.
Obstacles and loose impediments
At the beginning of the game, it is worth clarifying the location of fixed obstacles (roads, paths, etc.) according to local rules. At the same time, movable obstacles (rakes, cans, etc.) can be moved to any part of the field. If, having hit them, the ball changed its trajectory, it is allowed to repeat the kick.
In the event that an immovable obstacle interferes with your stance or shot, it is permitted to drop the ball according to the above rules. If the obstacle is on the line of impact, this is not a reason to ease your position. An exception is only possible if both the ball and the obstruction are on the putting green.
Water barriers
The score card must show local water hazard regulations. Use it to check if nearby bodies of water (if any) are a water hazard or are classified as a lateral hazard.
In the first case, the ball that hit the water is played from the position in which it ended up, or with a penalty of one hit in two options:
The ball is thrown onto the ground behind a water hazard. At the same time, he must be on the line between the hole and the place where he fell.
The ball is kicked from the position from which it was sent into the water.
If a body of water is considered a lateral hazard, then in addition to the above rules, with one penalty stroke, it may be dropped no more than 2 clubs from the place where it crossed the water hazard.
This can be done either in front of the barrier or behind it. In the second case, the distance is considered from a point equivalent to the point of intersection, relative to the hole.