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Can you play a provisional ball if you might be in a penalty area?
There’s only one thing worse than a shot over water. You’ve guessed it. It’s a blind shot over water. I don’t know what sadist thought that was a good architectural idea but not only is it a heinous...
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Rules of Golf explained: Is there a penalty for an air shot in a bunker?
The pros make them look easy. But for the rest of us? There is little in the game that sends us more into a tailspin than our ball finding is way into a bunker. But Gary Nott’s email explains that...
View ArticleWhat is Par Bogey? Here are the rules for this unusual format
A stroke play format which uses match play scoring? Welcome to Par Bogey – a game that can be played off scratch, with handicaps, and also in fourballs, foursomes, and team competitions. Rule 21.3...
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Rules of Golf explained: There’s an old hole plug on my line – can I take...
It would have been a cracking shot. A day ago. Now it’s lingering right on your line and you’re worried it’s going to deflect a cup-bound effort off target. What am I talking about this week? Let’s...
View Article‘It’s in his bag!’ Watch LPGA star’s improbable fan encounter
What was that about playing it as it lies? Just when we thought we’d seen it all, a LPGA Tour player was left in hysterics and forced to call over a rules official after her tee shot landed in the...
View ArticleDisabled Golf Rules | 2023 Rules of Golf Changes
2023 Rules of Golf Golf is a game for everyone – regardless of age, race, gender or ability, and in the 2023 Rules of Golf, this has been cemented with the addition of a new Rule 25. The Modifications...
View ArticleMy ball has hit an insect on the green – can I putt again?
Golf ball hits insect, what do I do? Remember when a bug on the green almost cost Paul Casey a penalty? The Englishman’s putt at the Porsche European Open in the autumn of 2019 rolled over a moving...
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What are the rules for back-on-the-line relief?
Take the spot of the ball, or the last estimated point of entry, line it up with the hole and then start moving backwards. We can all take back-on-the-line relief without really thinking about it. But...
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Do you have to put your handicap on your scorecard?
Your scorecard, your responsibility. That’s how the Rules of Golf viewed the requirement to input your handicap on that bit of paper. But with the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2023, there was a...
View ArticleCan you stand behind your playing partner and watch them putt?
Come on, be honest? Who’s been guilty of taking more than a brief peek at their partner’s line when they’re trying to work out their next shot? It used to be an old joke of Texas Scrambles that all...
View ArticleCan my club force me to use a mat on the fairway?
It’s often an exercise in carrot and stick – we’re talking, of course, about encouraging players to use fairway mats in winter. For those clubs that bring them in to try and preserve the quality of...
View ArticleAre self standing putters legal?
It brought Rick Shiels nearly half a million video views on YouTube and almost broke Twitter when former baseball pitcher John Smoltz sashayed into a green with one at the Diamond Resorts Tournaments...
View ArticlePGA Tour star DQ’d after ‘knowingly’ breaking rules
There’s getting disqualifed, and then there’s Mark Hubbard getting disqualified. The American was booted from the Houston Open for having too many clubs in play. Altogether now: You’re only allowed 14...
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Is it always a DQ if I forget to sign my scorecard?
It was purely a moment of forgetfulness. The player had returned their card, the numbers were all correct, but it wasn’t signed. Even worse, they had the winning score. Golf scorecard rules are rules...
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Get this match play rule wrong and you won’t get off the 1st tee!
It’s a ritual in match play as old as handicaps itself. Let’s call it ‘the revelation of the shots’. You meet on the first tee and work out who gets what. We might be bit more carefree about this...
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You’ll never guess which rule this legend wants to change!
We’ve all encountered it. We’ve all argued about it. Some of us have been left enraged by it. But now, with the new Rules of Golf set for 2023, one tour legend has weighed in on the debate. And what...
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How long can you take to identify a ball?
What constitutes a reasonable time to identify your golf ball? Your answer might be different from mine and this fundamental opaqueness made an important question in the Rules of Golf just a little...
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What is the one ball rule in golf?
Remember when Russell Henley went from hero to zero – from contention to a weekend off – in the time it took to view a small dash on a ball? It was the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic and the multi-time...
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Did you know about this odd clubface rule?
Have you ever grabbed a new driver from the pro shop, sprinted out to the tee, and sent one flying down the fairway while forgetting to remove the big sticker from the middle of the clubface? I’m...
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The Rules of Golf you HAVE to know in a penalty area
What rules of golf apply if your ball ends up in a penalty area? Let’s find out… We would recommend you watch the video above for the best explanation, but if you would prefer to read the article,...
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