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The game of golf is governed by the Rules and Decisions of the United States Golf Association. (USGA) Players conduct themselves according to the less formal rules of etiquette. We asked some golf pros what rules they thought were least understood, and all said breaches of etiquette create the most difficulty on the course. The biggest problem by far, because it affects so many people on the course, is slow play.
The solution is simple: keep up with the group in front of you. If you are about to spend some time looking for the ball you just hit into the woods, check behind you. If a group is waiting, wave them through. If there is no group in front, but a group is waiting behind you, let them play through as soon as possible. Then try to keep up with that group.
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To keep up, there is no need to rush your shots, just play efficiently between shots. Efficient play consists of getting ready to make every shot without wasting time:
· If your ball leaves the fairway and has any chance of being lost or out of bounds, hit a provisional ball (Rule 27-2) to avoid a trip back to the tee box.
· Play ready golf. If your partner is ready and you are not, signal your partner to play, even if you are away and it is technically your turn.
· If you will be some distance from your clubs for your next shot, take several clubs to the ball so you won’t have to walk back and forth to get the right one.
· After a stroke, don’t stop to put away the clubs. Go to your ball and replace the clubs from your last shot as you select the clubs for the next one.
· When your group has holed out, replace the flagstick and move out. Put a pencil in your hand as a reminder if need be, but wait until you get to the next tee box to record your scores.
If each player in a foursome could save fifteen seconds on each hole, it would shorten the round by almost 20 minutes!
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If your ball leaves the fairway, crosses the rough, and disappears, you likely have to decide among several choices for the next shot. First though, if the ball went into a hazard, remember where it crossed the line. If it did not enter a hazard, and may be lost or out of bounds, to save time, declare and hit a provisional ball. (Rule 27-2)
If the ball is out of bounds (marked by white stakes) the only choice (Rule 27-1) is to play a shot from the same place as the last shot, (play the provisional ball, or, if you didn’t hit one, go all the way back to the point of your last shot and hit another ball.) In either case, add a one-stroke penalty.
If the ball is lost, that is, not found in five minutes after you start to look (Definitions) and not in a hazard (Rule 27-1), the only choice is just like out of bounds: play from the same spot as the last stroke (play the provisional) and add a one-stroke penalty.
If the ball is found, a player may declare the ball unplayable anywhere on the course except in a water hazard. There are three choices (Rule 28):
1. Play a stroke from where the ball was last played. --One stroke penalty.
2. Drop the ball no nearer the hole, with no limit on the distance back, on an imaginary line running from the hole through the point where the ball lay. --One stroke penalty.
3. Drop the ball no nearer the hole within two club lengths of the point where the ball lay. --One stroke penalty.
If the ball is lost or found in a water hazard (marked by yellow stakes or a yellow paint line), there are three choices (Rule 26-1):
1. Play the ball as it lies. --No penalty. *
2. Play a stroke from where the ball was last played. --One stroke penalty.
3. Drop the ball behind the hazard, with no limit on the distance back, on an imaginary line running from the hole through the point where the ball last entered the hazard. --One stroke penalty.
If the ball is lost or found in a lateral water hazard (marked by red stakes or a red paint line), there are five choices (Rule 26-1):
1. Play the ball as it lies. --No penalty. *
2. Play a stroke from where the ball was last played. --One stroke penalty.
3. Drop the ball behind the hazard, with no limit on the distance back, on an imaginary line running from the hole through the point where the ball last entered the hazard. --One stroke penalty.
4. Drop the ball no nearer the hole within two club lengths of the point where the ball last entered the hazard. --One stroke penalty.
5. Drop the ball no nearer the hole within two club lengths of the point on the other side of the hazard that is the same distance from the hole as the point where the ball last entered the hazard. --One stroke penalty.
* If the ball is lost in the hazard, this first choice obviously does not apply.
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· Soft, mushy earth is not casual water unless water is visible before or after the player takes his stance. (Decision 25/1)
· A player can have the flagstick attended when his ball lies off the putting green. The provisions of Rule 17.1 apply regardless of the location of the ball.
· It is permissible to hold the flagstick in one hand while tapping in a putt with the other, so long as the flagstick does not touch the ball. (Decision 17-1/5)
· When addressing the ball, if a player accidentally causes the ball to oscillate, but it returns to its original position, it has not "moved", and there is no penalty. (Decision 18/2)
· In stroke play, if a player swings at and misses a wrong ball not in a hazard, they incur a two-stroke penalty per Rule 15.3.b. In match play, it will cost the player the hole per Rule 15.3.a. (Decision 15/1)
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