What are the penalties for late or early starts?

Question

Accepted Answer

Players must start at, and not before, the starting time set by the Committee, which is an exact time (9:00 means 9:00:00) (Rule 5.3a). The penalty for breach is disqualification, except:

Situation	Ruling
Player arrives at the starting point, ready to play, no more than 5 minutes late	General penalty on the first hole
Player starts no more than 5 minutes early	General penalty on the first hole
Committee decides exceptional circumstances prevented an on-time start	No breach, no penalty

If the start is delayed for any reason (weather, slow play, a ruling), there's no breach if the player is present and ready when the group can start.

The same rules apply to resuming after a suspension (Rule 5.7c). Players must also stay in the group the Committee set, unless the Committee approves a change; breach is disqualification (Rule 5.4b).