Golf tournament rules have changed so much over the last few years. Things like yellow hazards/yellow stakes, dropping procedures, and search time for your ball have completely changed (and some things have disappeared)!

In this article, I’m going to go through some rules that are standard that haven’t changed, as well as some rules that have changed recently that will be newer information, and will help all understand proper golf tournament etiquette. Below, you’ll see certain golf rules listed in sections that go together, or the rules will be by themselves. For example, the first group is going to be revolving around hazards. In that section, you’ll find rules for dropping, impediments, etc. This list of golf tournament rules will be helpful for those playing tournament golf, casual golf, and anything in between. That being said, check your local golf course for any other local rules that may be in place.

Apparel

There are no rules in the United States Golf Association rule book, or USGA, that state what you can and cannot wear on the golf course, but most golf courses will have local guidelines or a dress code for what you should wear. For example, try to avoid wearing t-shirts, and lean more toward items such as polos, collared shirts, khakis, pants, etc. You can find more advice on what you should or shouldn't wear while golfing in this article from my fellow Curated Golf Expert. The best advice is to abide by your local course's rules on dress code and be sure to call ahead if you're unsure.

Clubs

One of the most important golf rules to know for tournament play is that you can only have 14 clubs in your bag at one time. You cannot trade clubs out in a round, and you cannot use anyone else’s clubs. To make up their 14 clubs, a person will typically have:

• A putter
• Multiple wedges
• Multiple irons
• A hybrid or two
• A wood or two
• A driver

A putter is considered one, as well as everything in between up to your driver. Here’s a brief overview of the golf club makeup of a bag. If you have more specific questions regarding this, check out the USGA rule book under Rule 4.

Golf Ball

As important as golf clubs are to the game, the golf ball is just as critical. Be sure to have a golf ball that is conforming to the rules of golf. See the USGA rule book, as well as local rule g-3, to see a list of conforming golf balls. That being said, during the round itself, be sure to avoid hitting the wrong ball, as hitting the wrong golf ball can create issues for not only yourself but your fellow competitors and playing partners. If you do not realize you are using the wrong ball until the next hole, this can lead to a suspension of your play in the form of disqualification.

Teeing Ground

Something really easy to forget is to check that you’re teeing up behind the markers. In the photo below, you can see two black balls that are considered the tee markers, and the area between them is where you place your tee and ball. You must be behind the markers but no farther back than two club lengths behind. If you hit your tee shot in front of the markers, it could result in a two-stroke penalty. Being in front of the tee markers means that you’re closer to the hole, so being behind the tee marker makes it equally fair for your competitors. You will still have a huge area to tee up your ball, but just make sure it’s always behind the markers and not in front.

Putting Green

It is important that when on the putting surface, the player must check for things such as spike marks, ball marks, etc., and fix these things as necessary. Not only is this proper golf etiquette, but it is respectful to the golf course you are playing at.

You are allowed to have the flagstick in the hole while putting, which is a newer rule to the game. Though this can be an advantage to see the hole from farther away, many have found that the flagstick keeps the ball from going in the hole. Use your own judgment with this one, but know that it is 100% allowed.

Hazards and Penalty Areas

Lateral Hazards

One of the biggest changes in golf rules is about yellow hazards (defined by yellow stakes) which are now almost obsolete—you’ll really only see red hazards (aka lateral hazards or lateral water hazards). A lateral hazard penalty area is usually water, but can also be tall grass or other wooded areas. These hazards will be lined with red paint or marked with red stakes. In the photo, you’ll see the lateral water hazard in front of the tee box defined by red stakes. Also below, you will find lateral relief procedures for these hazards. Check with the golf courses in your area for any local rules on yellow hazards.

If your ball enters a lateral hazard you have multiple options:

1. Play the ball as it lies. You can take practice a swing, as long as you don’t move anything that is touching your ball to improve the lie. However, you can move loose impediments in the hazards! This has NO PENALTY.
2. Take two golf club lengths from the entry point of where the ball crossed—not where the ball ended up, but where it initially crossed into the hazard. You can take your two club lengths no closer to the hole and drop. This has a ONE-STROKE PENALTY. If you hit your second shot into the hazard, you will be hitting your fourth shot after dropping.
3. Take a straight line back on the ball’s point of entry and the flag (make a straight line between the flag and the point where the ball entered the hazard), and drop anywhere on that line. This has a ONE-STROKE PENALTY. If you hit your second shot into the hazard, you will be hitting your fourth shot after dropping.

You are also now allowed to take a practice stroke in certain penalty areas. This includes a lateral hazard, but not areas such as bunkers. Check your local rules for these qualifications, as well as the USGA rule book.

White Stakes and White Lines There are also other stakes to observe on the golf course, one of those being white stakes and sometimes white lines. These are at out-of-bounds stakes. These stakes define the legal playing area and should be observed accordingly. See the USGA handbook or your local golf course for more information on out-of-bounds rules, as there are many local rules in play at various courses.

Fence Posts Often, out-of-bounds will also be defined by fence posts. Sometimes, practice areas that are part of the golf course will also be defined as out of bounds, so be sure to check these to avoid a breach of a local rule. The most important thing to remember is that, with all kinds of hazard, penalty, or out-of-bounds areas, the player's stance does not define these areas, it is where the ball lies.

There are other areas that are designated as ground under repair or free drop areas. These places are often mulch areas filled with wood chips, french drains, cables, power lines, immovable obstructions, seams of cut turf, or other abnormal course conditions. Sometimes, they will even be designated as a white-lined areas, meaning they are free drop areas. Often, there are integral objects that are ruled by committees as a means of interference that is meant to be a challenge of the course, so be sure to check with your rules officials if you have questions on this. Again, check these things with your golf course in order to avoid a breach of local rule.

Bunkers

Another form of “hazard” is a bunker—also known as a sand bunker, sand trap, or trap. This is considered a hazard because you have to do a few specific things when in the bunker. In the bunker, your club CANNOT touch the sand until the moment you hit the ball. Therefore, as you set up to the ball you have to hover your club above the ground behind your ball until impact. There is NO PENALTY for hitting out of a bunker, as long as you follow the rule above.

In 2021, a few new rules emerged for sand traps and sand bunkers:

1. You are now able to remove loose impediments and movable obstructions in the bunker (such as rocks, leaves, twigs, etc.) as long as it does not move your ball or improve the lie directly around the ball.
2. If you do not want to hit out of the bunker, you can now take a drop that gets you out of the bunker. You will do this similar to a lateral hazard and drop outside of the bunker, no closer to the hole, with a two club length. This has a ONE-STROKE PENALTY. If you hit your second shot into the bunker and you choose to drop, you will be hitting your fourth shot from outside of the bunker.

Dropping a Ball

Another new rule comes with dropping the ball. In the past, the rule was that you had to drop the ball at shoulder height, however, starting in 2021 modifications were made so that golfers must drop the ball at knee height. This means that when you are dropping a ball for whichever penalty you might be encountering, you must drop the ball in its new spot from the height of your knee. The video below demonstrates this really well, but if you are concerned about this, consult the other golfers in your group to ensure you do it correctly.

Pace of Play — Ready Golf

In golf, the pace of play is incredibly important, whether it be for casual play, tournament golf, or charity outings. At a typical golf course, a “good pace” is approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes. This means approximately 10-15 minutes per hole. Though you can’t always control how fast your group mates play, you can always play ready golf by walking as close to your next shot as possible (without getting in the way of your playing opponents) and by hitting your next shot first, even if it’s out of order. Of course, you always want to resume play in a safe way, so be sure to continue pace of play without putting yourself in a dangerous situation.

However, playing out of order may not be applicable depending on what type of tournament you’re playing (stroke play, match play, scramble, charity events, etc.), or based on how your fellow golfers want to play. For example, in a match play event, order of play is critical to the match, as going out of order can result in loss of hole, or another general penalty. Overall, the pace of play is critical to making sure that the tournament runs smoothly and gets all of the players through in the right amount of time. Be sure to talk to your group beforehand if they’d prefer ready golf when it comes to hitting order or honors, but you can always be prepared when it’s your turn to hit from the fairway to the green! Regardless, you should always be able to see the group ahead of you during play.

Provisional Ball

A provisional ball is a second ball that a player hits when they believe that their ball could have gone out of bounds. It is declared by saying “I am hitting a provisional ball” followed by the type of ball and markings on it. The player then hits this ball from the spot where they think the ball could’ve gone out of bounds and then proceeds forward. If the player cannot find the original ball, they will then hit the second ball for a ONE-STROKE PENALTY. For example, if the player hits their original ball out of bounds and plays the provisional, the next shot they will be hitting is four from their second ball (because the third shot was taken at the time of the provisional).

Typically, people think of provisional shots as something to use when you’re confident you hit your ball out of bounds, however, there is another opportunity to use a provisional. Sometimes there might be a really thick area of grass, wooded area, trees, swamp, or other areas that are not marked as hazards or out of bounds that you could hit your ball into. In this case, it might be smart to hit a provisional if you are concerned that you won’t be able to find your ball and could end up in a lost ball situation (See USGA handbook Rule 18). This would be the same situation for a penalty if you choose to use the second ball after declaring a lost ball — it would be a ONE-STROKE PENALTY.

Don’t Know the Rules by Heart?

Sometimes you’ll find yourself in a situation where you realize that you and your playing partners either don’t know a rule, are unsure of a ruling, or are conflicted about a decision for a ruling. In this case, the first thing you should do is bring one or more of your playing partners over to show them what your situation is. Next, you have a few options:

1. Discuss with your playing partners or fellow competitors about the ruling. ALWAYS do this, however with this one, also do steps two, three, or four to ensure that the ruling is correct. Sometimes you will even have a caddie with you (whether it’s your own or your playing partners), and they are good to consult with as well.
2. Play a second ball. If you and your playing partners have come to a conclusion on what the ruling is, play your original ball from the original spot, through the hole from the shot in question through the putting green, as well as a second ball which is the one with a different ruling. Keep both scores and ask the Rules Official at the scorers’ table about what is correct. Only do number two if you are fairly confident that the ruling is accurate.
3. Find a Rules Official. 99% of the time, Rules Officials are correct (though sometimes not, so see number four as well), so they will be a tremendous help in making sure that you do every step of a ruling correctly so nobody walks away with any penalty strokes.
4. Read the USGA rules book. If you don’t have one, they are easy to get from the USGA and provide every rule of golf, with an updated version each year. The USGA rules of golf book will always be your go-to, but sometimes you might not have one on hand. In that case, consult options one-three above. Though it would be extreme, not using the appropriate rule is grounds for disqualification, so be sure to check your handbook anytime you have questions about rulings.

In conclusion

There are so many rules to remember for the game of golf. It is impossible to know all of the rules of golf by heart, especially when they’re always changing. Remember, when in doubt, do any or all of the following: consult your playing partners about the situation, find a Rules Official, look it up in the USGA rules book (if you have one), or play a second ball. It is also critical to remember that if you are unsure AT ALL about a ruling, always consult a Rules Official, look it up, and/or play a second ball. Though your playing partners may be knowledgeable about golf, you wouldn’t want to get a penalty for one of them giving you an incorrect ruling (whether it’s an accident or not). If you don't have a USGA rules book with you, consult the USGA website for help. Though cell phones are not generally supposed to be used on the course, consult with your group about looking at the online USGA rules book.

Most importantly: the rules are there to help you, not hurt you. So take advantage of this knowledge and give yourself the best opportunity to succeed! The rules of golf are important to the spirit of the game, and honesty is critical. A humble, honest golfer always comes out on top!

If you run into any questions or want to get geared up for the green, you can always reach out to a Golf Expert here on Curated for free, personalized advice and recommendations.