Player's Rule Finder

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The purpose of this visual search is to help you the golfer, find the Rule relating to your situation within the Rules of Golf more easily. It is intended to cover the most common scenarios that you might find yourself in on the golf course and so it does not cover every eventuality. The Player's Rule Finder assumes you are playing either Individual Stroke Play or Match Play.

General Area

Equipment

Out of Bounds

The Ball

Teeing Area

Penalty Area

Putting Green

Bunker

Committee Help

Other Rules

General Area

Select a situation

When is a ball in the general area

Unplayable Ball

Searching for and identifying ball

Selected

Searching for and identifying ball

Select a situation

Lost ball

Selected

Lost ball

Select a situation

Provisional ball

Selected

Provisional ball

Select a situation

Cleaning ball

Loose impediments

Movable obstruction such as a bag or towel

Selected

Movable obstruction such as a bag or towel

Select a situation

Immovable obstruction such as cart path or sprinkler head

Selected

Immovable obstruction such as cart path or sprinkler head

Select a situation

Animal hole or ground under repair or temporary water

Selected

Animal hole or ground under repair or temporary water

Select a situation

Embedded Ball

Selected

Embedded Ball

Select a situation

Wrong green

Two balls close together - Another ball is in the way

Ball interfering with play

Ball at rest moved or lifted

Selected

Ball at rest moved or lifted

Select a situation

Ball at rest moved or lifted - Deciding whether ball moved

Ball at rest moved or lifted - Deciding what caused the ball to move

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By you or your caddie

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By wind, water or other natural forces

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By animal

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By another player or person in stroke play

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By your opponent (or their caddie) in match play

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By another ball

Ball at rest moved or lifted - During backswing or stroke

Ball in motion deflected

Selected

Ball in motion deflected

Select a situation

Wrong ball

Improving area near the ball

Selected

Improving area near the ball

Select a situation

No play zone in general area

Selected

No play zone in general area

Select a situation

Dangerous animal condition

Selected

Dangerous animal condition

Select a situation

Equipment

Select a situation

Conforming clubs

Club damaged during round

Maximum of 14 Clubs

Selected

Maximum of 14 Clubs

Select a situation

Balls allowed in play of round

Selected

Balls allowed in play of round

Select a situation

Ball damaged

Selected

Ball damaged

Select a situation

Other equipment

Selected

Other equipment

Select a situation

Equipment used for medical reasons

Out of Bounds

Select a situation

When ball is out of bounds

What to do when ball is out of bounds

The Ball

Select a situation

Balls allowed in play of round

Selected

Balls allowed in play of round

Select a situation

Ball damaged

Selected

Ball damaged

Select a situation

When ball may be changed

Teeing Area

Select a situation

When to Start Round

Order of Play

Selected

Order of Play

Select a situation

When ball is in teeing area

Ball played from outside teeing area

Selected

Ball played from outside teeing area

Select a situation

Improvements allowed in Teeing Area

Moving tee-markers

Tee-markers missing

Tee-markers in the way when not playing from teeing area

Penalty Area

Select a situation

When is ball in a penalty area

Searching for and identifying ball

Selected

Searching for and identifying ball

Select a situation

Play the ball as it lies - touching ground

When relief may be taken - knowledge or virtually certain

Relief options from yellow penalty area

Relief options from red penalty area

Loose impediments

Movable obstruction such as a bag or towel

Selected

Movable obstruction such as a bag or towel

Select a situation

No relief from immovable obstruction or ground under repair or animal hole in penalty area

No relief for an embedded ball in penalty area

No unplayable ball relief allowed in penalty area

Ball at rest moved or lifted

Selected

Ball at rest moved or lifted

Select a situation

Ball at rest moved or lifted - Deciding whether ball moved

Ball at rest moved or lifted - Deciding what caused the ball to move

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By player

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By wind, water or other natural forces

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By animal

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By player's caddie

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By another player or person in stroke play

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By opponent in match play

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By opponent's caddie in match play

Ball at rest moved or lifted - By another ball

Ball at rest moved or lifted - During backswing or stroke

Ball played from penalty area comes to rest in same or another penalty area

Selected

Ball played from penalty area comes to rest in same or another penalty area

Select a situation

Ball played from penalty area is lost or out of bounds or unplayable outside penalty area

Improving area near the ball

Selected

Improving area near the ball

Select a situation

Ball in motion deflected

Selected

Ball in motion deflected

Select a situation

No play zone in penalty area

Putting Green

Select a situation

When ball is on putting green

Touching putting green

Selected

Touching putting green

Select a situation

Marking, lifting and cleaning ball

Flagstick

Selected

Flagstick

Select a situation

Ball (or ball-marker) moved

Selected

Ball (or ball-marker) moved

Select a situation

Ball in motion deflected

Selected

Ball in motion deflected

Select a situation

Ball or ball-marker helping or interfering with play

Selected

Ball or ball-marker helping or interfering with play

Select a situation

Interference from immovable obstruction or temporary water

Selected

Interference from immovable obstruction or temporary water

Select a situation

Relief from wrong green

Ball overhanging hole

Making a stroke on the putting green

Selected

Making a stroke on the putting green

Select a situation

Failure to hole out in stroke play

Bunker

Select a situation

When ball is in bunker

Ball Unplayable

Touching sand - when allowed and not allowed

Searching for and identifying Ball

Selected

Searching for and identifying Ball

Select a situation

Loose impediments

Movable obstruction such as a bag or towel

Selected

Movable obstruction such as a bag or towel

Select a situation

Ground under repair, animal hole or temporary water

Selected

Ground under repair, animal hole or temporary water

Select a situation

Two balls close together

Selected

Two balls close together

Select a situation

Improving area near ball

Selected

Improving area near ball

Select a situation

Committee Help

Select a situation

Match Play - Deciding Issues by Agreement

Match Play - Ruling Request from Committee

Rules Issues in Stroke Play

Stopping play; resuming play

Selected

Stopping play; resuming play

Select a situation

Other Rules

Select a situation

Advice and other help

Selected

Advice and other help

Select a situation

Caddie

Selected

Caddie

Select a situation

Practice

Selected

Practice

Select a situation

Stopping play

Selected

Stopping play

Select a situation

Resuming Play after Play was Stopped

Selected

Resuming Play after Play was Stopped

Select a situation

Penalties

Selected

Penalties

Select a situation

Scorecards

Selected

Scorecards

Select a situation