1. In a match, the player furthest from the hole plays first<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t roll your eyes if you think this one is obvious, because you\u2019d be surprised how many golfers think a player off the green has to hit his or her shot before a player on the green can putt. Not true. If a player on the green is further from the hole than a player off the green, that person should putt first. In matchplay, if you play out of order, your opponent can make you replay the stroke. That would sting if you chipped in.<\/p>\n
In strokeplay, there is no penalty for playing out of order and it\u2019s encouraged by the rules makers if it speeds up play. Obviously courtesy matters, so it\u2019s probably a bad move to walk in front of another golfer to hit your shot ahead of him or her, but prudence should rule the day.<\/p>\n
2. You don\u2019t get relief from boundary objects such as out-of-bounds stakes or fences<\/p>\n
You hit a shot that nearly left the golf course but stayed in play \u2013 that\u2019s great. However, having your ball next to an out-of-bounds fence or some other course boundary means you\u2019re going to have to get creative about how to play your next shot. Unlike stakes that mark things such as penalty areas, environmentally sensitive areas or ground under repair, you don\u2019t get relief from OB markers unless you want to take an unplayable lie (and accept the penalty stroke that comes with it). What you could do is strike the fence or object first to advance your ball, or even play your shot off the boundary object. Players at the Old Course at St Andrews have been known to hit shots off the rock wall behind the 17th green to get their ball on or near the putting surface.<\/p>\n
![\"https:\/\/www.golfdigest.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2022\/9\/out-of-bounds-ob-stakes-white-lined-up.jpg\"\/](\"https:\/\/golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2022\/9\/out-of-bounds-ob-stakes-white-lined-up.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.544.suffix\/1663011587468.jpeg\")
3. There is no lateral relief for penalty areas marked in yellow<\/p>\n
This rule is especially important to remember when a yellow penalty area fronts a green. Even if your ball carries the pond but then rolls back in \u2013 like from the false front on the 15th hole at Augusta National \u2013 you don\u2019t get to drop on the side of the pond where the ball rolled in. At best, the course might provide a drop zone so you don\u2019t have to replay from the spot where you just hit or anywhere using back-on-the-line relief, but playing on the other side would be playing from the wrong place (two strokes or loss of hole in matchplay).<\/p>\n
4. You probably won\u2019t get relief from a sprinkler head on your line of play<\/p>\n
It seems unfair to be a few steps from the front of a green but your only decent option for your next shot is to chip over a sprinkler head. Unfortunately, that\u2019s typically the case. Although sprinkler heads are considered immovable obstructions, you only get relief if your ball, stance or swing are interfered with by one of them. There is one exception, however. If the course or committee is using Model Local Rule F-5, there\u2019s a good chance you can move your ball. Here are the requirements:<\/p>\n
The sprinkler head must be on your line of play. That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it has to be on a direct line between your ball and the cup, but you can\u2019t claim the free relief if you choose a line of play that is clearly unreasonable. The sprinkler head must be within two club-lengths of the putting green and your ball must be within two club-lengths of the sprinkler head. A club-length, by the way, is the longest club in your bag that is not a putter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Photo: David Cannon<\/p>\n 5. You can\u2019t play a provisional ball if it\u2019s known or virtually certain your ball is in a penalty area<\/p>\n Golfers get this one wrong, a lot. If you hit a ball into a penalty area, the minute you reload and hit another shot, the second ball is in play (plus add a penalty stroke). It doesn\u2019t matter if you said \u201cprovisional ball\u201d or similar before hitting the shot. The provisional-ball procedure is reserved for times of uncertainty, like when you think the ball you just hit might be lost and you want to save time not having to walk back to the spot of your previous shot after a failed search. There\u2019s nothing uncertain about seeing your ball fly into a penalty area or being told by someone else it went in. You must proceed with penalty-area options, which, by the way, include hitting a shot from the penalty area if you can find your ball. And you can ground your club and make practice swings, too. Did you know that rule also changed?<\/p>\n![\"1163395061\"\/](\"https:\/\/golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2024\/5\/rules-sprinkler-head-relief-open-championship-2024.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.644.suffix\/1715786018594.jpeg\")
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