Top 8 Golf Rules for 2023

As a beginner golf player, it sure can be a bit headache trying to cram a bunch of rules without ever taking a shot in the golf course. Don’t worry you are not the only one out there. You will definitely have club members to help you out. Besides, we will inform you some of the most important basics rules that will give you a solid ground for starting out in the golf course.

Here, in this article we will talk about the latest top golf rules for 2023 you should keep in mind before heading out to a golf course as a beginner. Of course, as you get a grasp of how things go around in the golf course, you should try to learn every knacks and bits of golf to reach advanced level. So, read all the way through to learn about the 8 most important rules in golf.

1. You must play the golf ball as it lies:

Make sure that you never remove the ball from the spot where the ball lies after you hit the ball and it rolls over to a spot in the golf course. You can still lift it up though (no scratching or tampering the ball except for cleaning with a piece of cloth) as long as you put it on the same spot where it was. In this case the tee would be helpful to mark the spot where the ball laid before lifting it up.

If the ball drops on or in front of an obstruction, like a sewerage line or shrub you can move the ball one club length away laterally or move in line with the hole. But of course, moving away comes with a one stroke.

2. Number of clubs allowed in a golf bag:

Many years ago golfers used to bring 20+ golf clubs in the playground to give them an advantage over others in playing strokes. USGA limited the number of golf clubs a player can bring in the golf course to make it fair for all players. So, you can carry only 14 set of golf clubs in your bag.

If at any point of time you are found to be have more than 14 clubs in your bag, you will lose maximum of 2 holes in a round (one hole if you played the first hole and right after it you were found to have more than 14 clubs) in a match play, or 2 penalty strokes per hole played up to a maximum of 4 penalty strokes in stroke play. You can see a famous case on YouTube, where Woody Austin got a penalty for having 15 golf clubs in his bag at the PGA Championship.

Usually professional players carry a set of driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, 4 hybrid, 5-9 irons, pitching, sand wedges, gap wedges, lob wedges and putter. As a beginner, you can start with a driver, 7-wood instead of the 2-3 irons and hybrids as it gives you both the characteristics of wood and iron without compromising the benefits too much.

3. Mind the golf tee markers while going for the first stroke:

For each hole you play, you must tee up your golf ball from behind the tee markers and within the teeing area. According to USGA rules, a teeing area is the rectangular box two club lengths behind the two tee markers in the golf course. If you place your ball outside of this imaginary rectangular area, two penalty strokes will be deducted from your scores.

However, you can position yourself inside the rectangular box for the stroke. You are not allowed to move the tee markers away from its fixed spot. And of course, remember that you are only allowed ball on the tee for the first stroke for each hole. Then from the second stroke outside of the teeing area you have to play the ball as it lies without the tee.

4. No one can advise you except your caddy:

During competitions, as a golf player you are only permitted to ask advice from your caddie. That is the only person who stands beside you helping you with the bags and stuffs while you go for the shot. He can give you any kind of advice that you need, including how you should make the shot, what kind of club would be best for the striking the ball, etc.

Other players and bystanders can’t advise you in any way except on occasions where you want to know how far the hole is located, weather conditions, direction of the wind, locations of hazards, and you can ask for any clarification of golf rules if you forget it. Whew! It’s such a relief, ain’t it? Now, you don’t have to feel all stressed out as a rookie trying to remember all the golf rules in the playground. People can just clarify the rules for you.

5. You are liable for your caddy’s actions in the golf course:

Now just saying that your caddy can be your best buddy doesn’t mean he can do whatever he likes in the golf course. There are limits to what he can or can’t do for you.

If your ball falls on an obstruction, your caddie can advise you for taking a relief but you will be the one who decides ultimately whether you need a relief or not. Once you happen to need a relief, then you and not the caddie must be the one who should pick up the ball from the obstruction and drop it on the relief area.

Your caddie can’t give any advice to your opponent when the round is ongoing and he can’t decide or persuade your opponent regarding the golf scores. Well, it’s unlikely that we would ever have this kind of situations because obviously we wouldn’t choose some mad caddy to accompany in the match, would we?

Another thing to keep in mind is that make sure that your caddy does not stay close to you along the line of the stroke while you make the shot. The caddy should stay clear from you completely before you attempt to strike the ball. Even if your caddy attempts to back away once he realizes his mistake when you are going for the strike, your caddy will still be considered in breach of this rule.

If your caddy does not follow these protocols stated above, you will be penalized with a general penalty. That means, a loss of hole in a match play or two strokes penalty in a stroke play.

6. Time to search your golf ball:

If you lose a ball after playing a shot, you have only five minutes to search for your lost ball. If you can’t find it within that time, you get one stroke penalty. Let’s say that you found the golf ball in an obstruction or hazard like a pond or bunker, which is deemed to be unplayable by you, then you have to take a penalty stroke and resume your play following the rules already discussed above.

You can choose to play the ball as it lies within the obstruction without receiving any penalty. But, that depends on your decision if you can make the stroke from within the obstruction. Your caddy can help you find the ball, and normally he would keep an eye on the ball just in case it does not get lost.

7. Who gets to strike the ball first:

During a match play or a stroke play, when the round starts the player farthest from hole gets to take his shot first, and then sequentially the player who is the second farthest from the hole gets to strike second and so on and so forth.

After playing a hole, anyone who has the least strokes for the last hole shot would get to strike first for the next hole. You must follow this order of taking shots during a competitive play. Otherwise, your competitor can cancel the hole played by you and then you have to complete the hole again.

You might bring a slight change to this rule if you are playing “Ready Golf”, which is actually not an official competition but just a recreational activity among the golf club members. Basically, this is what you would be starting at as a beginner.

So, in this play the rules are a little bit relaxed and instead of hitting the ball maintaining the official sequence the players can go for the shot first whoever gets ready to hit at the earliest moment. This might save up time during the play.

Suppose some of the players might be busy repairing the divot or taking some time to make decision on the club they should strike with and maybe you have completely made up your mind about how you are gonna make the shot. Then you will be given the chance to hit first. After that whoever is ready next will hit the ball after you.

8. Make sure everything stays clear out of your path:

Make your strike when all the people are away from your golf ball’s path. This is to ensure your ball is not impeded in its track towards the hole by anyone, including animals. Even if your ball goes off its normal track by hitting someone, causing a disaster to your success you still have to play the ball as it lies after getting hit against someone.

If you hit the ball against bystanders, you will not receive any penalty in this case but remember there are other opponents watching you on the golf course. If they see that you are closer to the hole and you hit the ball against people standing nearby (whether it’s intentional or not), your opponents could claim a penalty against you due to cheating.

You will get a penalty if your ball is inside the putting green and you strike the ball which then hits the opponent’s ball that is also lying in the same putting green. Though, this penalty will not be applied against you if your ball is lying outside of the putting green.