All eyes turn on you as you tee off. The game of golf is not just about hitting the ball with a club but also about a big set of rules and regulations. Missing these golf rules can cause you lot of embarrassment.
Many golfers are perplexed with such rules. However, we suggest, it’s better to make peace with them as you can’t do without them. Take a note of them and save yourself from the embarrassment.
- Don’t Carry More Than 14 Clubs: If you are carrying more than 14 clubs in your golf kit, then you might be violating the rules. Ideally, a 12 club golf bag should have:
- a) 3 kinds of wood (driver, 3-wood, and 5-wood)
- b) 8 irons (3-iron through 9-iron and pitching wedge)
- c) putter.
Only two additional clubs should be included in the bag. The last two clubs can include a hybrid for use on the fairway and a wedge for the golfer’s short game. He/she may choose to use two wedges, which can include a lob wedge or a sand wedge. Hybrid golf clubs have become increasingly popular as they can replace various woods and irons and reduce the number of clubs in a bag.
2) Play the Ball As It lies– Once you reach the teeing ground with the correct set of 14 clubs, go head-on but keeping in mind certain golf rules. You are not expected to press anything at the teeing ground while taking your stance. However, if you are lifting any natural object at the teeing ground which is not fixed, you won’t face any penalty!
You are also not supposed to pick any natural objects in bunkers or water hazards. For movable but man-made objects, you need not worry about any rules to break. When you find immovable things, you can safely drop away from them. While doing so, remember to drop away only within the distance of one club length from the point that is closest to the relief. Burrowing holes, casts and the ground which is under repair also allow you to take relief unless they are in a water hazard.
For the putting green, there are certain guidelines to be followed without any excuse. You should always drop in near the relief and not the hole. If playing with a different strategy where you can’t place the ball closest to the relief, drop within the one-club length from the nearest point of relief.
For water hazards and bunkers, the rules are a bit tricky to make your game more challenging. Touching the water or the surface with your hand or the club is not permissible. If the ball gets lost in the water hazard or is dropped in a position from where it was difficult to hit further, look for the point where the ball last traversed the hazard margin and drop behind it. You can also get positioned at the point from where you played the last shot.
In the case of lateral hazards, you have the liberty to drop within the distance of two club lengths from the last hazard margin crossed by the ball.
Once you are aware of where to drop in, you also need to know what if you hit the ball out of the bounds. You get only 5 minutes to find the ball, if you fail, you face the penalty. As a penalty stroke, you need to play the stroke from the place you played the last shot. Also, if you fail to identify your ball, it is assumed to be lost. There is an unsaid golf rule that is in your favor! It asks you to mark your golf ball before the game starts and avoid any chance of defeat due to mere confusion.
Don’t Remove the Spike Marks:
Beyond the golf mentioned above rules, certain norms are followed dedicatedly by golfers. One of them is regarding the golf etiquette for repairing the plugs of old holes and ball marks at the end of the play. But, the same doesn’t apply to spike marks. You may not remove the Spike marks.
Take Advice from The Caddies:
The last but the most important rule, you are not supposed to take advice from anyone except the caddies on the golf course! So, it’s advisable to brush up the rules before heading towards the golf course.