Player's Guide to USGA Rules of Golf for Junior Tournaments (Under 19) 2023

No more than 14. You can't start a round with more than 14 clubs or have more than 14 during the round. This includes every club carried by or for you (Rule 4.1b(1)). If you start with fewer, you may add clubs up to 14, as long as you don't delay play or borrow one from anyone playing on the course.

If you discover you have too many, take the extra club(s) out of play right away, before your next stroke, by clearly showing which clubs you won't use (Rule 4.1c).

Count your clubs on the first tee before you start.

Under the Rules of Golf, yes: getting distance or direction information from a distance-measuring device or compass is allowed (Rule 4.3a(1)).

Not allowed during the round:

• Measuring elevation changes (turn off any slope function)
• Using a device that interprets information, such as recommending a club or line of play based on your ball's location
• Using an alignment device to help aim

The Committee can ban distance-measuring devices with a Local Rule (Model Local Rule G-5), so check the terms of the competition.

Penalty for misusing equipment (Rule 4.3): general penalty for the first breach (two strokes in stroke play), and disqualification for a second breach.

During a round you must not (Rule 10.2a):

• Ask anyone for advice except your caddie
• Give advice to anyone in the competition who's playing on the course
• Touch another player's equipment to find out what they're using (for example, looking in their bag to see which club they hit)

So a parent, coach or friend who isn't your caddie can't advise you on club choice, strategy or how to play a shot. Penalty: the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play).

This doesn't apply before the round, between rounds, or while play is suspended.

• Caddies: you may have one caddie at a time (Rule 10.3a). The Committee may prohibit caddies or restrict who can caddie through a Local Rule (Model Local Rule H-1); many junior events do, so check the terms of the competition.
• People walking with you, or carrying an umbrella or snacks, aren't your caddie unless you name them as one.
• No one other than your caddie may help with your line of play, except by pointing out public information such as a tree on the line of a blind fairway (Rule 10.2b(2)).

• Lost: a ball is lost if it isn't found within three minutes after you or your caddie start searching (Rule 18.2a(1)).
• Out of bounds: only when all of the ball is outside the boundary edge. The boundary is the course-side line between stakes at ground level, and the stakes or line themselves are out of bounds (Rule 18.2a(2)).

In either case you must take stroke-and-distance relief: add one penalty stroke and play again from where you made the previous stroke (Rule 18.2b). From the teeing area you may tee the ball; otherwise drop it near where you last played.

Exceptions: if it's known or virtually certain the ball is in a penalty area, was moved by an outside influence, or is in an obstruction or abnormal course condition, you can use the relief for that situation instead.

To save time, play a provisional ball whenever your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds.

If your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds, you may play a provisional ball to save time (Rule 18.3a).

• Announce it first: use the word "provisional" or otherwise make it clear. Just saying "I'll hit another one" doesn't count; that ball becomes your ball in play under stroke and distance (Rule 18.3b).
• You can keep playing the provisional until you reach the spot where your original is likely to be.
• It becomes your ball in play (with the one-stroke penalty) if the original is lost or out of bounds, or as soon as you play the provisional from nearer the hole than where the original is estimated to be (Rule 18.3c(2)).
• You must abandon it if you find the original on the course, outside a penalty area, within the three-minute search. If the original is in a penalty area, play it or take penalty-area relief. Strokes with an abandoned provisional don't count (Rule 18.3c(3)).

A provisional isn't allowed just because the ball might be in a penalty area.

A ball is in a penalty area when any part of it touches or is above the area (Rule 17.1a). You may play it as it lies with no penalty, under the same rules as anywhere else in the general area (Rule 17.1b). Or, for one penalty stroke (Rule 17.1d):

• If you can't find the ball, you can only use these options if it's known or virtually certain that it's in the penalty area. Otherwise it's a lost ball (stroke and distance) (Rule 17.1c).
• You can't take unplayable-ball or embedded-ball relief inside a penalty area (Rule 17.3).

You alone decide whether your ball is unplayable, and you can do it anywhere on the course except in a penalty area (Rule 19.1). In the general area or on the putting green, add one penalty stroke and choose (Rule 19.2):

1. Stroke and distance: play again from where your previous stroke was made. You can do this even if you haven't found the ball.
2. Back-on-the-line: drop behind the ball's spot, keeping that spot between the hole and where you drop, as far back as you like. The ball must come to rest within one club-length of where it first touched the ground, not nearer the hole.
3. Lateral relief: drop within two club-lengths of the ball's spot, not nearer the hole. If the ball is up in a tree, measure from the spot on the ground directly below it.

Options 2 and 3 require you to know where the original ball is.

How to drop (Rule 14.3b): let go of the ball from knee height (your knee when standing), straight down, without throwing, spinning or rolling it, and without it touching you or your equipment before it lands. Bunkers have extra rules (Rule 19.3).

Normally, if you lift or deliberately touch your ball at rest, or cause it to move, you get one penalty stroke and must replace it (Rule 9.4b). But there's no penalty when you accidentally move it:

• While searching for or identifying it (Rule 7.4)
• On the putting green, however it happens (Rule 13.1d)
• Anywhere except the putting green while taking reasonable actions to mark, lift or replace it when allowed, remove a movable obstruction, restore worsened conditions, take relief, or measure
• When it had come to rest against you or your equipment after a stroke or drop, and moves when you move or remove the equipment

There's also no penalty when a Rule allows you to lift or move it, such as to identify it or take relief.

In all these cases, replace the ball on its original spot (estimated if not known). Playing it from where it ended up instead is playing from a wrong place: the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play) (Rule 9.4).

Making a stroke at a wrong ball gets the general penalty (Rule 6.3c):

• Stroke play: two penalty strokes. Strokes with the wrong ball don't count. You must correct the mistake by going back to your own ball and playing it as it lies, or taking relief under the Rules. If you don't correct it before teeing off on the next hole (or, on the last hole, before returning your scorecard), you're disqualified.
• Match play: loss of hole. If you and your opponent play each other's balls, the first to hit a wrong ball loses the hole; if that's unknown, there's no penalty and the hole is played out with the balls exchanged.

If someone else played your ball, replace a ball on the original spot (Rule 6.3c(2)). There's no penalty for hitting a wrong ball that's moving in water in a penalty area.

To avoid this, put an identifying mark on your ball. You may lift your ball to identify it after marking its spot (Rule 7.3).

Ask a referee or the Committee if one is available in a reasonable time. If not, you must decide and keep playing without unreasonable delay (Rule 20.1a).

Stroke play: play two balls (Rule 20.1c(3)):

1. Decide to play two balls after the situation comes up and before making a stroke.
2. Announce to your marker or another player which ball you want to count if the Rules allow it. If you don't choose, the ball played first counts.
3. Finish the hole with both balls.
4. Report the facts to the Committee before returning your scorecard, even if you scored the same with both. Not reporting is disqualification.

The Committee then decides which score counts. Players in stroke play can't settle a Rules question by agreement among themselves (Rule 20.1c(1)).

Match play: you can't play two balls. Instead, request a ruling, or tell your opponent you'll ask for a ruling later, before either of you starts another hole (Rule 20.1b).

In stroke play, your marker records your score on each hole and must certify the scorecard at the end of the round (Rule 3.3b(1)). You must (Rule 3.3b(2)):

• Check each hole score the marker entered and raise any issues with the Committee
• Make sure the marker certifies the hole scores
• Not change a score the marker entered without the marker's agreement or Committee approval
• Certify your hole scores and promptly return the card. After that, it can't be changed.

Breaching any of these is disqualification (unless it was the marker's fault and beyond your control).

Wrong score for a hole (Rule 3.3b(3)):

Exception: if a score is too low only because of a penalty you didn't know about, you're not disqualified; the Committee adds the penalty strokes. You don't have to add up your scores or show your handicap; the Committee does that. You must also hole out on every hole in stroke play (Rule 3.3c).

Immediate suspension (for example, imminent danger such as lightning): stop at once. Don't make another stroke until the Committee resumes play (Rule 5.7b(1)).

Normal suspension (for example, darkness or an unplayable course) (Rule 5.7b(2)):

• If your group is between holes, stop and don't start another hole.
• If anyone in your group has started a hole, you may stop or finish the hole; decide quickly (normally within two minutes). In stroke play each player may decide, but may only continue if their marker stays to keep score.

Your own decision: you may stop on your own if you reasonably believe there's danger from lightning, but you must report to the Committee as soon as possible (Rule 5.7a). Stopping for any other reason not allowed by the Rules, or failing to report, is disqualification.

When stopping during a hole, you may mark and lift your ball. When play resumes, replace it on its spot, and be at the spot ready to play at the restart time; arriving up to 5 minutes late is the general penalty (Rule 5.7c, 5.7d). Not stopping when required is disqualification unless the Committee decides it was justified.

Recommendation: when it's your turn, make your stroke in no more than 40 seconds after you are (or should be) able to play without interference, and usually faster. Prepare in advance and be ready when it's your turn. In stroke play, "ready golf" is allowed when it's safe (Rule 5.6b).

Unreasonable delay is penalized (Rule 5.6a):

1. First breach: one penalty stroke
2. Second breach: general penalty (two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play)
3. Third breach: disqualification

A short delay is allowed for good reasons, such as seeking help from a referee or becoming ill or injured.

The Committee should also adopt a Pace of Play Policy as a Local Rule. It may set maximum times for a round, a hole, a series of holes or a stroke, with penalties for not keeping up (Rule 5.6b(3)).