The Amateur Championships – Match Play Rules

The R&A’s 2024 amateur championships season is now entering summer in Great Britain and Ireland. With The Women’s Amateur Championship just around the corner, now is the perfect time to look at some of the Rules that differ between match play and stroke play. 

A new Local Rule has also been introduced for all amateur championships this year and this will be covered here too. Although the amateur championships are known for the drama created by the head-to-head nature of match play, the championship begin with two rounds of stroke play qualifying, with the top 64 players progressing to the match play stages.  While the Rules of Golf apply to both formats of the game, there are some important differences to be aware of, a couple of which are highlighted below. Concessions (Rule 3.2b) The first Rule we are going to look at is concessions as this is one of the fundamental differences between match play and stroke play. In stroke play, the players are playing against everyone in the field, not just those in their group and so they must hole out at each hole for the round to be completed (Rule 3.3c).   On the other hand, in singles match play the only score that matters are those of the two players involved in the match – it is one player against the other.  Therefore, a player has the option to concede their opponent’s next stroke at any time before their opponent plays.  The player can even concede a hole before the hole is completed or the match at any time before the result of the match is decided.   It is normal for a player to concede their opponent’s next stroke when they have a short putt that the player does not expect them to miss, or if the player has played too many strokes on the hole and it is very unlikely they can win or halve the hole.  Concessions can be an important tactic in match play as a player might decide to concede shorter putts early in the match but make their opponent hole out later in the match when the pressure is on.   The key is to ensure that any concessions are clearly communicated to the opponent either verbally or by an action that clearly shows the intent to concede the stoke, hole or match. Finally, it is worth remembering that a concession cannot be declined or withdrawn. So, if your opponent asks you, “are you sure?” when you concede them a putt, you are not allowed to change your mind under the Rules. Order of Play (Rule 6.4) In stroke play, the order of play from the teeing area is determined by who has the honour (i.e. who has the right to play first) and once all players have started the hole, the ball farthest from the hole should be played first.  However, in stroke play, “ready golf” is allowed and very much encouraged which means players can play out of turn when it is safe and responsible for them to do so (Rule 6.4b).   In match play, players can also play out of turn to save time, but this can only be done by agreement and tends to be much less common in this format. The requirement to play in order protects one of the key tactical aspects of match play. The first to play has the opportunity to apply the pressure on their opponent by hitting a good shot, but equally, if the first to play hits a poor shot, the opponent may decide to play a safer shot than they were originally planning. So, if your opponent plays out of turn, what do you do?  Well, this is where the tactics of match play come into play as you now have two options.  While there is no penalty for your opponent playing out of turn in the match, you have the choice of either:

1. leaving your opponent to play their ball as it lies, which you might decide to do if they have played a poor shot, or 
2. cancelling your opponent’s stroke that they played out of turn and require them to play again in turn after you have made your stroke.  

Should you wish to cancel your opponent’s stroke, this must be done before either you or your opponent make another stroke.  Model Local Rule G-12 - Prohibiting Use of Materials to Help Read the Line of Play for Stroke from Putting Green Model Local Rule G-12 has been introduced for all R&A amateur championships in 2024. This Local Rule means that players are not allowed to use their yardage book or any other charts, graphs or notes to help them with reading their line of play for any stroke to be made on the putting green.  Preventing the use of these materials puts a greater emphasis on the skill and judgement involved in a player’s ability to read their line of play on the putting green. Now, this Local Rule does not mean there is a complete ban on you taking your yardage book out of your pocket during a round, but once your ball is on the putting green, you can only use your yardage book for other reasons that do not help you read the line of play.  Examples of when using your yardage book would be allowed include writing notes relating to the previous shot or checking the yardage for the next hole.   With everything at stake during The Women’s Amateur , a number of players will have a caddie to help them during the round. It is important to remember that under the Rules of Golf the player is responsible for their caddie’s actions, which means that whether it is you or your caddie that breaches any Rule, you will get the applicable penalty.  In the case of Model Local Rule G-12, the penalty for a first breach is the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play and loss of hole in match play) and the penalty for a second breach during the same round is disqualification.   Moral of the story…when this Local Rule is in effect, it is safest to keep the yardage book in the pocket once the ball is on the putting green.   Click here to learn more about Model Local Rule G-12.