How golf works.

The round and the hole

Rule 1.1 of the 2023 Rules of Golf describes the game in one line: a round of 18 holes or fewer, played on a course, by striking a ball with a club. The Definitions add that the holes are played in the order the Committee sets. Each hole begins with a stroke from the teeing area and ends when the ball is holed on the putting green, or when the Rules otherwise treat the hole as complete.

On the first stroke of a hole you may raise the ball on a tee. The Definitions say a tee must be no longer than 4 inches (101.6 mm) and must conform to the Equipment Rules. Under Rule 4.1b you may not start a round with more than 14 clubs or carry more than 14 during it, though you may start with fewer and add clubs up to that limit.

Two core principles

Rule 1.1 rests every stroke on two ideas: play the course as you find it, and play the ball as it lies. You do not improve your lie or move things to suit you, except where a Rule lets you alter conditions or requires or allows you to play from somewhere else. Many other Rules set out those exceptions, such as relief from a penalty area, a lost ball or an unplayable lie. The Rules section covers them one by one.

You call your own penalties

Golf is unusual in that players are expected to apply penalties to themselves. The purpose statement of Rule 1 says this is so players gain no potential advantage over their opponents or the rest of the field. The Rules back it up firmly:

• Rule 1.3b: a player who knows about a breach that carries a penalty and deliberately fails to apply it is disqualified. Two or more players who agree to ignore a Rule or penalty they know applies are all disqualified, even if they have not yet acted on the agreement.
• Rule 1.3b: when you have to estimate a location, such as where a ball last crossed the edge of a penalty area, your reasonable judgment stands even if video later shows it was wrong, provided you did what could reasonably be expected.
• Rule 1.3c(3): neither the players nor the Committee may vary a penalty. It is applied exactly as written.

The three levels of penalty

Rule 1.3c(2) sets out three levels of penalty:

Rule 1.3c(4) adds a fairness rule: if you breach several Rules, or the same Rule several times, between two intervening events (completing a stroke, or becoming aware of a breach), you get only one penalty, the higher one if they differ.

What "the Rules" includes

Under Rule 1.3a, "the Rules" means Rules 1 to 25, the Definitions and any Local Rules the Committee adopts. Players must also follow the Terms of the Competition, which cover things like entry, the dates and form of play, the number of rounds and the order of holes. Local Rules include the Model Local Rules published by the governing bodies, which apply only when a Committee adopts them. The R&A made a set of new and amended Model Local Rules available to Committees from 1 January 2026, and it stresses that they are Local Rules rather than changes to the Rules themselves.

Match play and stroke play

Rule 3.1a recognises two forms of play:

• Match play: you play against one opponent (or one side), hole by hole. Each hole is won, lost or tied, and the match is won when one player leads by more holes than are left to play (Rule 3.2a).
• Stroke play: every player is ranked by total strokes, including penalty strokes. The lowest total over all rounds wins (Rule 3.3a).

Either form can be played scratch, on gross scores with no handicap, or as a handicap competition on net scores after handicap strokes are taken off (Rule 3.1c). The R&A's purpose note to Rule 3 explains why the two forms have different rules: in match play the opponents can see each other play, so there are rules on concessions and on telling each other your stroke count; in stroke play you are up against the whole field, so there are rules on scorecards and on holing out. Stableford, foursomes, four-ball and other variations are on the formats of play page.

The scorecard in stroke play

In stroke play your score is recorded by a marker chosen or approved by the Committee (Rule 3.3b). The marker confirms and records your gross score on each hole and certifies the card at the end. You then check the hole scores, certify the card yourself and return it promptly. Two consequences surprise newcomers:

• If you return a hole score higher than you actually made, the higher score stands. If you return one lower than you made, you are disqualified, unless the shortfall came from penalty strokes you did not know about (Rule 3.3b(3)).
• You do not have to add up the scores, and since the 2023 edition you no longer have to show your handicap on the card either. The Committee adds the scores and works out the handicap strokes (Rule 3.3b(4)).

In ordinary stroke play you must hole out on every hole. Failing to correct a missed hole-out before teeing off on the next hole (or, on the last hole, before returning your card) means disqualification under Rule 3.3c. Stableford, Maximum Score and Par/Bogey are the exceptions.

Starting on time and stopping for lightning

Rule 5.3a asks you to start at your set time. Arriving ready to play up to five minutes late brings the general penalty on the first hole; any later is disqualification. Rule 5.7a lets you stop play if you reasonably believe there is danger from lightning, as long as you report to the Committee as soon as possible. Rule 5.6 asks everyone to play at a prompt pace, which the pace of play page covers.

How the Rules got here

The modernised Rules of Golf took effect on 1 January 2019, bringing changes such as a three-minute search for a lost ball (down from five) and dropping from knee height. The R&A and USGA announced the next update on 7 November 2022, and that 2023 edition has been in effect since 1 January 2023. Both the R&A (in January 2026) and the Virginia State Golf Association give 1 January 2028 as the date of the next edition. The Rules editions page has the detail.