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The Rules of Golf
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About The Player's Edition
The Player's Edition of the Rules of Golf is intended for you, the golfer. It contains the Rules situations that occur most commonly on the course and is an abridged version of the full Rules. Although its text is edited, it gives you the same answer that is in the full Rules of Golf and so it is a functioning Rule book.
1
Purpose: Rule 1 introduces these central principles of the game:
Play the course as you find it and play your ball as it lies.
Play by the Rules ...
2
Purpose: Rule 2 introduces the basic things you should know about the course:
There are five defined areas of the course, and
There are several t...
3
Purpose: Rule 3 covers the three central elements of all golf competitions:
Playing either match play or stroke play,
Playing either as an indivi...
4
Purpose: Rule 4 covers the equipment that you may use during your round. Based on the principle that golf is a challenging game in which success shoul...
5
Purpose: Rule 5 covers how to play a round - such as where and when you may practise on the course before or during your round, when your round starts...
6
Purpose: Rule 6 covers how to play a hole - such as the specific Rules for teeing off to start a hole, the requirement to use the same ball for an ent...
7
Purpose: Rule 7 allows you to take reasonable actions to fairly search for your ball in play after each stroke.
But you must be careful, as a penal...
8
Purpose: Rule 8 covers a central principle of the game: "play the course as you find it". When your ball comes to rest, you normally have to accept th...
9
Purpose: Rule 9 covers a central principle of the game: "play the ball as it lies".
If your ball comes to rest and is then moved by natural forces ...
10
Purpose: Rule 10 covers how to prepare for and make a stroke, including advice and other help you may get from others (including your caddie). The und...
11
Purpose: Rule 11 covers what to do if your ball in motion hits a person, animal, equipment or anything else on the course. When this happens accidenta...
12
Purpose: Rule 12 is a specific Rule for bunkers, which are specially prepared areas intended to test your ability to play a ball from the sand. To mak...
13
Purpose: Rule 13 is a specific Rule for putting greens. Putting greens are specially prepared for playing your ball along the ground and there is a fl...
14
Purpose: Rule 14 covers when and how you may mark the spot of your ball at rest and lift and clean your ball and how to put it back into play so that ...
15
Purpose: Rule 15 covers when and how you may take free relief from loose impediments and movable obstructions.
These movable natural and artificial...
16
Purpose: Rule 16 covers when and how you may take free relief by playing a ball from a different place, such as when you have interference by an abnor...
17
Purpose: Rule 17 is a specific Rule for penalty areas, which are bodies of water or other areas defined by the Committee where a ball is often lost or...
18
Purpose: Rule 18 covers taking relief under penalty of stroke and distance. When your ball is lost outside a penalty area or comes to rest out of boun...
19
Purpose: Rule 19 covers your relief options for an unplayable ball. This allows you to choose which option to use - normally with one penalty stroke -...
20
Purpose: Rule 20 covers what you should do when you have questions about the Rules during a round, including the procedures (which differ in match pla...
21
Purpose: Rule 21 covers four other forms of individual play, including three forms of stroke play where scoring is different than in regular stroke pl...
22
Purpose: Rule 22 covers Foursomes (played either in match play or stroke play), where two partners compete together as a side by alternating in making...
23
Purpose: Rule 23 covers Four-Ball (played either in match play or stroke play), where you and your partner compete as a side with each of you playing ...
24
Purpose: Rule 24 covers team competitions (played in either match play or stroke play), where multiple players or sides compete as a team with the res...