Player's Guide to Golf Canada Rules of Golf All Ages 2023

Under Rule 4.1b of the 2023 Rules of Golf you must not start a round with more than 14 clubs or have more than 14 during the round. The limit counts all clubs carried by or for you, but not parts of a broken club carried at the start of the round. If you start with fewer than 14, you may add clubs up to 14.

When you become aware of the breach, you must take the excess club or clubs out of play before your next stroke, using the Rule 4.1c(1) procedure (clearly indicating each club is out of play). If you started with more than 14 you choose which to take out; if you added clubs during the round, the added ones come out.

Penalty: it is applied at the end of the hole being played (or the hole just completed, if you notice between holes).

• Stroke play: two penalty strokes for each hole where a breach happened, maximum four penalty strokes in the round.
• Match play: the match score is revised by deducting one hole for each hole where a breach happened, maximum two holes in the round. For example, a player who starts with 15 clubs, notices on the 3rd hole and wins it to go three up becomes one up.

Under Rule 5.6 of the 2023 Rules of Golf:

• Unreasonable delay (Rule 5.6a): you must not unreasonably delay play, either during a hole or between holes. A short delay is allowed for reasons such as asking a referee or the Committee for help, injury or illness, or another good reason.
  • First breach: one penalty stroke.
  • Second breach: general penalty (two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play).
  • Third breach: disqualification.
  • A delay between two holes is penalized on the next hole.
• Prompt pace (Rule 5.6b): a round is meant to be played at a prompt pace. It is recommended that you make your stroke within 40 seconds after you are, or should be, able to play without interference or distraction, and you should usually be able to play faster. Prepare for your next stroke in advance and be ready when it is your turn.
• Ready golf: in stroke play you may play out of turn in a safe and responsible way (Rule 6.4b(2)). In match play you may agree that one of you plays out of turn to save time.
• Committee policy: the Committee should adopt a Local Rule setting a Pace of Play Policy, which may set a maximum time to complete a round, a hole or a series of holes.

Under Rule 14.3b of the 2023 Rules of Golf, you must drop in the right way:

1. You drop the ball. Your caddie or anyone else may not do it (except where a disability modification in Rule 25 applies).
2. Straight down from knee height. Let go from the height of your knee when standing, so the ball falls straight down without you throwing, spinning or rolling it, and without touching your body or equipment before it hits the ground.
3. Into the relief area. You may stand inside or outside the relief area. For back-on-the-line relief, you drop on the line in a location the Rule allows.

If the ball is dropped in a wrong way, you must drop again, with no limit on the number of times. A wrong drop does not count towards the two drops required before placing a ball. If you instead play from where it came to rest, you get one penalty stroke if you played from the relief area, or the general penalty if you played from outside it.

If a ball dropped in the right way comes to rest in the relief area, you have completed taking relief and play it as it lies. If it comes to rest outside the relief area, you follow the drop-again and place procedure in Rule 14.3c(2).

Abnormal course conditions are animal holes, ground under repair, immovable obstructions and temporary water. Under Rule 16.1 of the 2023 Rules of Golf, for a ball in the general area:

1. Check for interference. It exists when your ball touches or is in or on the condition, or the condition physically interferes with your area of intended stance or swing. On the putting green it also exists when the condition intervenes on your line of play.
2. Find the nearest point of complete relief in the general area. This is your reference point.
3. Drop the original or another ball in a relief area of one club-length from that point. The area must be in the general area, not nearer the hole than the reference point, and give complete relief from all interference by the condition.

Free relief is not allowed when your ball is in a penalty area (your only relief there is under Rule 17), when the condition is out of bounds, when playing the ball as it lies is clearly unreasonable because of something you cannot get free relief from (such as a ball in a bush), or when interference exists only because you chose a clearly unreasonable club, stance, swing or direction of play. Being close enough to distract you is not interference. Relief from a movable obstruction is separate and is under Rule 15.2.

Where relief is allowed, a ball in a bunker or on the putting green has its own procedures in Rules 16.1c and 16.1d.

Yes, but only in the general area (Rule 16.3 of the 2023 Rules of Golf). You take free relief by dropping the original or another ball in a relief area:

• Reference point: the spot in the general area right behind where the ball is embedded.
• Relief area: one club-length from the reference point, in the general area and not nearer the hole than the reference point.

A ball is embedded only if it is in its own pitch-mark made by your previous stroke and part of the ball is below the level of the ground. If you cannot tell whether it is in its own pitch-mark or another ball's, you may treat it as embedded if that is a reasonable conclusion from the available information. A ball is not embedded if it sits down in grass with no part below ground level, was stepped into the ground, was driven straight into the ground without becoming airborne, or was dropped in taking relief.

No relief applies if the ball is embedded in sand in a part of the general area not cut to fairway height or less, or if playing the ball as it lies is clearly unreasonable because of something you do not get free relief from (such as a bush). A Local Rule may limit relief to areas cut to fairway height or less. If your ball is embedded on the putting green, you may mark, lift and clean it, repair the damage and replace it.

Under Rule 17.1 of the 2023 Rules of Golf, you may play the ball as it lies without penalty, under the same Rules as the general area, or take penalty relief for one penalty stroke. The relief also applies if the ball is known or virtually certain to be in the penalty area but has not been found.

Options for one penalty stroke (Rule 17.1d):

1. Stroke and distance: play the original or another ball from where your previous stroke was made.
2. Back on the line: drop outside the penalty area, keeping the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area between the hole and where you drop, with no limit on how far back. The relief area is one club-length from where the ball first touches the ground, not nearer the hole than that crossing point, and in the same area of the course.
3. Lateral relief (red penalty areas only): drop in a relief area two club-lengths from the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area, not nearer the hole than that point.

Yellow penalty areas have options 1 and 2 only. An exception applies if the Committee has marked a no play zone in the penalty area: you must take relief from it (Rule 17.1e).

Under Rule 18.2 of the 2023 Rules of Golf, you take stroke-and-distance relief: add one penalty stroke and play the original or another ball from where your previous stroke was made.

• Lost: a ball is lost if it is not found within three minutes after you or your caddie begin to search. If a ball is found in that time but you are unsure it is yours, you have a reasonable time to identify it, even after the three minutes.
• Out of bounds: a ball at rest is out of bounds only when all of it is outside the boundary edge of the course. It is in bounds if any part of it touches the ground or anything else inside the boundary edge, or is above the boundary edge. You may stand out of bounds to play a ball on the course.

Exception: if it is known or virtually certain what happened to the ball (for example it is in a penalty area, in an abnormal course condition, or was moved by an outside influence), you may use the relief that applies to that situation instead.

Under Rule 18.3 of the 2023 Rules of Golf, you may play a provisional ball to save time when your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or might be out of bounds. This includes when the original ball has not been found and identified yet, or might be lost in a penalty area but also somewhere else on the course.

You must announce it before you play. Use the word "provisional" or otherwise clearly indicate you are playing under Rule 18.3. Saying only "I'm playing another ball" or "I'm playing again" is not enough. If you do not announce it, the ball you play is your ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 18.1). If no one is nearby to hear you, you may play the provisional ball and then tell someone when you can.

A provisional ball is played under penalty of stroke and distance, from where your previous stroke was made. It is different from playing two balls when unsure of a ruling (Rule 20.1c).

Under Rule 19.2 of the 2023 Rules of Golf, for a ball in the general area or on the putting green you may declare it unplayable and take relief for one penalty stroke using any one of three options:

1. Stroke and distance: play the original or another ball from where your previous stroke was made. You can use this even if the original ball has not been found.
2. Back on the line: drop behind the spot of the original ball, keeping that spot between the hole and where you drop, with no limit on how far back. The ball you drop creates a relief area one club-length in any direction from where it first touches the ground, not nearer the hole than the original spot, and in the same area of the course.
3. Lateral relief: drop in a relief area two club-lengths from the spot of the original ball, not nearer the hole. If the ball is above the ground (for example in a tree), measure from the spot directly below it.

For back-on-the-line and lateral relief you must know the spot of the original ball. Rule 19.3 has separate options for a ball in a bunker.

Do not hold up play (Rule 20.1a). If a referee or the Committee is not available in a reasonable time, decide what to do and play on, protecting your rights as follows.

Stroke play (Rule 20.1c):

• You may complete the hole with two balls without penalty. Decide to do this after the uncertain situation arises and before you make a stroke.
• Announce to your marker or another player which ball you want to count. If you do not choose, the ball played first is the default.
• Report the facts to the Committee before you return your scorecard, even if you score the same with both balls. If you do not, you are disqualified.
• The Committee decides the score for the hole.
• Playing two balls is not the same as a provisional ball.
• Players cannot settle a Rules issue by agreement in stroke play.

Match play (Rule 20.1b): you and your opponent may agree how to decide the issue, and that agreement is conclusive even if it turns out to be wrong, unless you agreed to ignore a Rule or penalty you knew applied. If you cannot agree, or a referee is assigned, ask for a ruling. If no referee or Committee is available, tell your opponent you will seek a later ruling. Playing two balls is not allowed in match play.

Under Rule 3.3b of the 2023 Rules of Golf (stroke play):

• Score higher than what you actually took: the higher score stands.
• Score lower than what you actually took, or no score for a hole: you are disqualified.
• Unknown penalty exception: if a score is lower only because you left out penalty strokes you did not know about before returning the card, you are not disqualified. The Committee adds the penalty strokes if the mistake is found before the competition closes. This does not apply if the missed penalty is disqualification, or if you were told a penalty might apply (or were unsure) and did not raise it with the Committee before returning the card.

Your marker enters the scores and certifies them at the end of the round. You must check them, make sure the marker certifies them, certify them yourself and promptly return the card to the Committee. You may not change a hole score the marker entered without the marker's agreement or the Committee's approval. Breaching these requirements means disqualification. You are not responsible for adding up the scores or showing your handicap on the card.