What are the most common penalties in a club medal?
Rule- South Africa
- The R&A
- Golf RSA
- Rules of Golf 2023 edition
- Club golf
- All ages
- 2026
- Players
The general penalty is two strokes in stroke play (loss of hole in match play).
| Situation | Penalty in stroke play |
|---|---|
| Ball lost (not found in 3 minutes) or out of bounds | 1 stroke, replay from where you last played |
| Relief from a penalty area | 1 stroke |
| Unplayable ball | 1 stroke (2 to drop back outside a bunker) |
| Accidentally moving your ball at rest (other than while searching for it, on the putting green or while applying a Rule) | 1 stroke, replace it |
| Playing a wrong ball | 2 strokes, and you must then play your own ball; disqualified if not corrected before teeing off on the next hole (or returning your card on the 18th) |
| Asking for or giving advice | 2 strokes |
| More than 14 clubs | 2 strokes per hole where the breach happened, maximum 4 |
| Playing from a wrong place (e.g. a bad drop played from outside the relief area) | 2 strokes |
| Not holing out | Disqualified unless corrected before teeing off on the next hole (in Stableford, zero points for the hole) |
| Returning a hole score lower than you took | Disqualified |
Added 22 Oct 2026