The easiest-to-understand golf rules guide for everyone — beginners, regular golfers, competitive players and parents too. Tap any article to read it straight away.
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16 articles →Situations you face every time you play.
18 articles →Stroke play, match play, scorecards.
12 articles →The rules explained for parents of young golfers.
6 articles →Each article explains one golf rules topic — short, clear and with real-life examples.
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Ask a question →Golf is a sport in which players use clubs to hit a ball from a starting point (the teeing area) until it drops into the hole on the putting green. The aim: complete each hole in as few strokes as possible.
A standard round of golf has 18 holes. Each hole has a standard number of strokes called par (usually par 3, par 4 or par 5, depending on its length). The total par for 18 holes is usually 72.
The two most fundamental principles of golf (Rule 1):
Golf is more than a sport — it combines technique, strategy, mindset and good manners.
Under the rules, a golf course is divided into 5 main areas. Each area has its own rules — understanding the map of the course is the first step to playing by the rules.
Different rules apply in each area. This article explains each area in detail, the coloured stakes on the course, and how to tell where you are.
Teeing Area: Two tee-markers set some distance apart. You must tee off within the area between the 2 markers and no more than 2 club-lengths behind them.
General Area: Everything on the course EXCEPT the other 4 areas. You play the ball as it lies.
Bunker: A specially prepared area of sand. The edge of the bunker (the lip) is not part of the bunker.
Penalty Area: Yellow stakes = 2 relief options. Red stakes = 3 relief options (adds lateral relief).
Putting Green: Grass cut especially short. The edge of the green is where you can clearly see the grass change to the shorter cut.
Each hole has a standard number of strokes (par). Your score = strokes played + penalty strokes. Fewer strokes than par = well done. More strokes than par = room for improvement.
In a Stroke Play competition, the player with the lowest total over 18 holes wins. In Stableford, each score on a hole is converted into points — the player with the most points wins.
Under Rule 4.1b, a golfer may carry a maximum of 14 clubs during a round. Each type of club is designed for different distances and situations.
Golf is the only sport in which players must call penalties on themselves. Rule 1.2 sets out the standards of conduct every golfer must follow.
A handicap is a number that reflects your playing ability. The lower the handicap, the better the player. It allows golfers of all abilities to compete fairly against each other.
If you have a handicap of 20, it means that on average you take about 20 strokes more than par over an 18-hole round. Professional golfers usually have a handicap of 0 (scratch golfers) or even a "plus" handicap, i.e. better than scratch.
In Vietnam, handicaps are managed through the system of the VGA (Vietnam Golf Association). You need to submit scores from at least 5 rounds (54 holes) to get an official handicap.
A caddie helps the golfer on the course — carrying clubs, reading greens and advising on strategy. In Vietnam, caddying is a common job at golf courses.
A caddie MAY:
A caddie MAY NOT:
The teeing area is a rectangle between the 2 tee-markers, extending 2 club-lengths back. You MUST tee off from within this area.
On the 1st tee: by draw or in the order set by the competition. On later holes: the player who won the previous hole plays first (the honour). Away from the tee: the player furthest from the hole plays first.
In casual play (not official competitions), Ready Golf is encouraged: whoever is ready first plays first, without waiting for their turn. The aim: to speed up play.
In Match Play, if you play out of turn, your opponent may require you to replay the stroke. In Stroke Play, there is no penalty for playing out of turn.
This is the most fundamental principle in golf: wherever the ball lies, that is where you play it from. You must not move the ball unless the rules allow it.
You have a maximum of 3 minutes to search for your ball, starting from when you begin searching. Not found within 3 minutes = lost ball.
Lost ball = not found within 3 minutes of searching. You must take stroke-and-distance relief: replay from where you played your previous stroke + 1 penalty stroke.
When your ball is lost, you must go back to where you played your previous stroke and play a new ball, adding 1 penalty stroke. This is called stroke and distance — the most "painful" penalty in golf.
OB = Out of Bounds = outside the boundary of the golf course, marked by white stakes or by a wall or fence. A ball out of bounds is handled like a lost ball: stroke and distance.
A ball is only out of bounds when ALL of it lies outside the boundary. If any part of the ball touches or lies on the boundary line → the ball is still in bounds.
Note: OB stakes are boundary objects — you must NOT pull them out, even if a stake is in the way of your swing.
A provisional ball is an extra ball you play when you think your original ball might be lost or out of bounds. It saves you the time of going back to replay.
Rule 5.6 requires golfers to play at a prompt pace. Slow play is not only impolite — it can also be penalised in competitions.
When your ball is in a Penalty Area (yellow or red stakes), you can: (1) play the ball as it lies (no penalty), or take a 1-stroke penalty and choose one of the relief options.
Option 1 – Play it as it lies: If the ball is in the penalty area but playable (for example at the water's edge), just play it — NO penalty.
Option 2 – Stroke and distance (+1): Go back and play from where you played your previous stroke.
Option 3 – Back-on-the-line relief (+1): Keep the point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area between you and the hole, and drop a ball behind it on that straight line (as far back as you like).
Option 4 – Lateral relief (+1): ONLY for RED stakes. Drop a ball within 2 club-lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area, no nearer the hole.
Yellow stakes = a standard Penalty Area. Red stakes = a Penalty Area that also allows lateral relief. Red stakes give you MORE options.
Yellow stakes (Yellow Penalty Area): 2 relief options: stroke and distance, or back-on-the-line relief. Often used when there is a lake in front of the green.
Red stakes (Red Penalty Area): 3 relief options: the 2 options for yellow stakes + lateral relief (drop within 2 club-lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the edge). Often used for streams and ditches alongside the fairway.
If your ball is in a position where you can't play it (at the foot of a tree, in a thick bush...), you may declare it "unplayable" and take a 1-stroke penalty. ONLY the player can decide that a ball is unplayable — nobody else.
When your ball is on or next to a fixed man-made object (a cart path, a drain cover, a sprinkler head), you get free relief — you may move the ball AT NO COST, without penalty.
Applies to: concrete cart paths, drain covers, sprinkler heads, stone benches, signposts and tree stakes.
Temporary water is a puddle that collects on the course after rain; it is not a penalty area. You get free relief.
Temporary water = water you can see on the surface of the ground BEFORE or AFTER you take your stance. If water rises up around your shoes when you stand there → that is temporary water.
The procedure is the same as free relief from an obstruction: find the nearest point of complete relief, drop within 1 club-length, no nearer the hole.
Yes, you can! You may remove loose impediments (loose natural objects) anywhere on the course, including in bunkers and penalty areas. No penalty.
Natural objects that are not attached or fixed: small stones, leaves, broken branches, insects, animal droppings, fallen fruit.
NOT loose impediments: sand, loose soil (worm casts and ant hills, however, do count as loose impediments), dew, water.
When your ball is embedded in its own pitch-mark in the General Area, you get free relief. Drop a ball within 1 club-length, no nearer the hole.
When a ball at rest is moved → what you do depends on WHO or WHAT moved it.
The Putting Green has the most privileges: you may lift and clean your ball, repair ball-marks, and remove loose sand and soil. But there are also things you must not do.
What you must NOT do on the green:
Since 2019, you may leave the flagstick in the hole when you putt. There is NO penalty if the ball hits the flagstick. This was a big change from the old rules.
When your ball overhangs the lip of the hole, you may wait a "reasonable time" to reach the hole + another 10 seconds. If the ball hasn't dropped by then → it is treated as at rest.
If the ball falls into the hole during the waiting time → it is holed with your previous stroke.
If the ball falls into the hole AFTER the waiting time → it is treated as at rest (on the lip of the hole). You replace it on the lip and tap it in → +1 stroke.
Bunkers have their own strict rules. The most important one: you must NOT touch the sand with your club before your stroke, including in your backswing (with a few exceptions).
What you MAY do in a bunker:
When you declare your ball unplayable in a bunker, you have the 3 usual options (+1 stroke), the same as in the general area, PLUS 1 special option (+2 strokes) to get out of the bunker.
When taking relief, you must drop the ball from knee height, straight down, in the relief area. The 2019 rules changed the drop height from shoulder height to knee height.
Golf has 3 main levels of penalty: a 1-stroke penalty (minor breaches/taking relief), the General Penalty of 2 strokes (more serious breaches), and Disqualification (DQ – very serious breaches).
1-stroke penalty: Accidentally moving your ball, hitting into a penalty area, declaring a ball unplayable, stroke and distance.
2-stroke penalty (General Penalty): Touching the sand in a bunker before your stroke, improving the conditions affecting the stroke, playing a wrong ball, teeing off outside the teeing area.
Disqualification (DQ): Deliberate cheating, not recording your score correctly, signing an incorrect scorecard, playing from a wrong place in a way that gives a big advantage (a serious breach).
Free relief = you may move your ball WITHOUT a penalty stroke. Here are the 5 most common situations.
Stroke and distance = go back and play from where you played your previous stroke + 1 penalty stroke. It applies when your ball is lost or out of bounds, or when you choose it yourself.
Because you lose a penalty stroke AND the DISTANCE (you go back and replay). For example: you drive the ball 200m and then it's lost → go back to the tee and play again. Your next shot is your 3RD stroke (1 played + 1 penalty + the replay).
This is also why the provisional ball is so important — it saves you from having to walk back and replay.
The nearest point of complete relief (NPCR) is the point closest to your ball where you are no longer affected by the condition you are taking relief from. It is the reference point for your drop.
1 club-length = the length of the longest club you are carrying (other than your putter). It is used to measure the relief area when you drop a ball.
1 club-length: Free relief (obstructions, temporary water, GUR, embedded ball) — Rule 16.
2 club-lengths: Penalty relief — lateral relief from a penalty area (Rule 17.1d), lateral relief for an unplayable ball (Rule 19.2c).
Stroke Play: Count your total strokes for the whole round; the lowest score wins. Match Play: Head-to-head, hole by hole; whoever wins more holes wins the match.
Stroke Play: You MUST hole out on every hole. Penalties are different: General Penalty = +2 strokes. Most tournaments use this format.
Match Play: You don't need to hole out if your opponent concedes. Penalty: General Penalty = loss of hole. Playing out of turn → your opponent may require you to replay the stroke.
Besides Stroke Play and Match Play, golf has many other popular formats. In Vietnam, Stableford is very commonly used for amateur tournaments.
Each hole is converted into points: Double Bogey or worse = 0 points, Bogey = 1, Par = 2, Birdie = 3, Eagle = 4. The player with the most points wins.
Advantage: One bad hole (0 points) doesn't hurt your total much → golfers are encouraged to play aggressively, and play is faster.
Maximum Score: The Committee sets a maximum score for each hole (for example, double par). It helps speed up play in amateur tournaments.
In Stroke Play, the scorecard is an official document. Recording a wrong score (lower than your actual score) or failing to sign it → disqualification (DQ).
Foursomes (Alternate Shot): 2 players form a side and take alternate shots at 1 ball. Four-Ball: 2 players form a side, each plays their own ball, and the better score counts.
Odd-numbered holes: Player A tees off. Even-numbered holes: Player B tees off. After that, they take alternate shots until they hole out. Tactical teamwork is essential!
Four-Ball: Each player plays their own ball. The score for each hole = the better score of the 2 players. Popular in scramble and team events in Vietnam.
The most common rule breaches in golf tournaments and how the rules deal with them.
Arriving late (Rule 5.3): Up to 5 minutes late = General Penalty (2 strokes) applied to the 1st hole. More than 5 minutes late = DQ.
Playing a wrong ball (Rule 6.3c): Playing someone else's ball by mistake = General Penalty. You must find and play the right ball. Strokes played with the wrong ball don't count in your score.
Playing from a wrong place (Rule 14.7): Dropping in the wrong spot and then playing = General Penalty. If it gives you a big advantage (a serious breach) = DQ, unless you correct it straight away.
When you're unsure which rule applies, you may ask a referee for a ruling, or play 2 balls and let the Committee decide later.
Stroke Play (Rule 20.1c): If you're unsure, you may play 2 balls: 1 ball the way you think is correct, 1 ball the safe way. Tell your marker. The Committee decides which score counts.
Match Play (Rule 20.1b): If you disagree with your opponent, you may ask a referee or the Committee for a ruling. You must make the request BEFORE the next hole begins.
GUR (Ground Under Repair) is an area of the course under maintenance or repair. It is marked with lines or blue stakes. Ball in GUR → free relief.
The cases above are GUR by default, even if the Committee hasn't marked them.
When your ball lands on the putting green of ANOTHER hole (a wrong green), you MAY NOT play it from there. You must take free relief.
Find the nearest point of complete relief off the wrong green (in the general area). Drop within 1 club-length, no nearer the hole. No penalty.
A ball in motion that hits a person, an animal or an object → what happens depends on whether it was ACCIDENTAL or DELIBERATE.
The ball accidentally hits a person or object → no penalty for anyone. Play the ball from where it comes to rest. Exception: on the Putting Green, if the ball hits a person or object on the green → you must replay the stroke.
Deliberately stopping the ball (Rule 11.2): Anyone who deliberately stops or deflects the ball → General Penalty. The ball must be placed on the estimated spot if it hadn't yet come to rest, or the stroke replayed.
Distance-measuring devices (rangefinders) ARE allowed by default since 2019. But the Committee MAY ban them. Always check the competition terms.
ALLOWED: Rangefinders to measure distance. GPS devices to measure distance.
NOT ALLOWED: Functions that measure wind or elevation changes (slope) — unless the Committee permits them. Apps/devices that give club-selection advice. Headphones for listening to music (depending on the Committee).
Rule 8 prohibits golfers from improving their LIE, STANCE, SWING or LINE OF PLAY by changing the conditions on the course. Breach = General Penalty.
What you MAY do: Take your stance normally (even if you tread down the grass a little). Ground your club lightly behind the ball. Make a practice swing that does NOT move anything.
Since 2023, Rule 25 has been part of the official Rules of Golf, recognising golf as a sport for EVERYONE, including golfers with disabilities.
Rule 25 allows appropriate modifications for golfers who use wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs or assistive devices. For example: having someone else drop the ball for them, using a device to help them stand, and adjusting how they take their stance.
If your child is learning or playing golf, this article helps you understand the very basics: how golf is played, what the rules are, and the role of parents.
The VGA Junior Tour 2026 has 6 junior tournaments, sponsored by Hanwha Life. This article explains the rules of junior competition and the regulations parents need to know.
The VGA has announced a junior golf development roadmap for 2026–2031, aiming to produce a generation of Vietnamese golfers who can compete internationally.
Golf etiquette = good manners on the course. It isn't part of the main rules, but it is extremely important — golfers with poor etiquette won't be invited to play again.
Junior golfers have handicaps just like adults. A handicap lets your child compete fairly with friends of any ability.
Your child needs to submit scores from at least 54 holes (three 18-hole rounds or six 9-hole rounds), certified by a golf course or club. The scores are sent to the VGA system to calculate the handicap.
The handicap updates automatically as your child submits more scores. Playing regularly = a more accurate handicap.