Rule 1 - The Game, Player Conduct and the Rules

Purpose of Rule: Rule 1 introduces these central principles of the game for the player:

1.1 The Game of Golf

Golf is played in a roundRound: 18 or fewer holes played in the order set by the Committee.Round: 18 or fewer holes played in the order set by the Committee. of 18 (or fewer) holes on a courseCourse: The entire area of play within the edge of any boundaries set by the Committee:(...Continued) by striking a ball with a club.

Each hole starts with a strokeStroke: The forward movement of the club made to strike the ball.(...Continued) from the teeing areaTeeing Area: The area the player must play from in starting the hole they are playing.(...Continued) and ends when the ball is holedHoled: When a ball is at rest in the hole after a stroke and the entire ball is below the surface of the putting green.(...Continued) on the putting greenPutting Green: The area on the hole the player is playing that:(...Continued) (or when the Rules otherwise say the hole is completed).

For each strokeStroke: The forward movement of the club made to strike the ball.(...Continued), the player:

But there are exceptions where the Rules allow the player to alter conditions on the courseCourse: The entire area of play within the edge of any boundaries set by the Committee:(...Continued) and require or allow the player to play the ball from a different place than where it lies.

1.2 Standards of Player Conduct

a. Conduct Expected of All Players

All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by:

There is no penalty under the Rules for failing to act in this way, except that the CommitteeCommittee: The person or group in charge of the competition or the course. may disqualify a player for acting contrary to the spirit of the game if it finds that the player has committed serious misconduct.

“Serious misconduct” is player behaviour that is so far removed from what is expected in golf that the most severe sanction of removing a player from the competition is justified.

Penalties other than disqualification may be imposed for player misconduct only if those penalties are adopted as part of a Code of Conduct under Rule 1.2b.

b. Code of Conduct

The CommitteeCommittee: The person or group in charge of the competition or the course. may set its own standards of player conduct in a Code of Conduct adopted as a Local Rule.

See Committee Procedures, Section 5I  (explaining the standards of player conduct that may be adopted).

1.3 Playing by the Rules

a. Meaning of “Rules”; Terms of the Competition

The term “Rules” means:

Players are also responsible for complying with all “Terms of the Competition” adopted by the CommitteeCommittee: The person or group in charge of the competition or the course. (such as entry requirements, the form and dates of play, the number of roundsRound: 18 or fewer holes played in the order set by the Committee. and the number and order of holes in a roundRound: 18 or fewer holes played in the order set by the Committee.).

See Committee Procedures, Section 5C and Section 8  (Local Rules and full set of authorized Model Local Rules);  Section 5A  (Terms of the Competition).

b. Applying the Rules

(1) Player Responsibility for Applying the Rules. Players are responsible for applying the Rules to themselves:

(2) Accepting Player’s “Reasonable Judgment” in Determining a Location When Applying the Rules.

c. Penalties

(1) Actions Giving Rise to Penalties. A penalty applies when a breach of a Rule results from a player’s own actions or the actions of their caddieCaddie: Someone who helps a player during a round, including in these ways:(...Continued) (see Rule 10.3c).

A penalty also applies when:

(2) Levels of Penalties. Penalties are meant to cancel out any potential advantage to the player. There are three main penalty levels:

(3) No Discretion to Vary Penalties. Penalties need to be applied only as provided in the Rules:

In match playMatch Play: A form of play where a player or side plays directly against an opponent or opposing side in a head-to-head match of one or more rounds:(...Continued), the player and opponentOpponent: The person a player competes against in a match. The term opponent applies only in match play. may agree how to decide a Rules issue so long as they do not agree to ignore any Rule or penalty they know applies (see Rule 20.1b(1)).

(4) Applying Penalties to Multiple Breaches of the Rules. Whether a player gets multiple penalties for breaching multiple Rules or the same Rule multiple times depends on whether there has been an intervening event and on what the player did.

For the purpose of applying this Rule, there are two intervening events:

Penalties are applied as follows:

  • Single Penalty Applied for Multiple Breaches Between Intervening Events: If a player breaches multiple Rules or the same Rule multiple times between intervening events, the player gets only one penalty.

    If the Rules breached have different penalties, the player gets only the higher-level penalty.

  • Multiple Penalties Apply for Breaches Before and After Intervening Event: If a player breaches a Rule and then breaches the same Rule or another Rule after an intervening event, the player gets multiple penalties.

Exception – Failure to Replace a Moved Ball: If a player is required to replace a moved ball under Rule 9.4 but fails to do so and plays from a wrong placeWrong Place: Any place on the course other than where the player is required or allowed to play their ball under the Rules.(...Continued), they get only the general penalty General Penalty: Loss of hole in match play or two penalty strokes in stroke play.  under Rule 14.7a.

But any penalty strokes a player gets for taking penalty relief (such as a one-stroke penalty under Rules 17.1, 18.1 and 19.2) are always applied in addition to any other penalties.