RULES EVERY GOLFER SHOULD KNOW The USGA and The R&A Rules of Golf, effective January , .

BALL MOVED PUTTING GREEN BUNKERS AND PENALTY AREAS Ball Moved  Repairing  Relaxed During Search Damage Restrictions

● If you move any player's ● You can repair almost in Bunkers ball (even your own) any damage on the ● You can touch or while searching for it, putting green, including: move loose there is no penalty, just impediments in a replace the ball. ● Spike marks bunker, but be careful ● Animal damage you don't move your ball ● Any damage from a person when doing so or you'll get or a ball one penalty stroke.  Ball Moved on ● You cannot touch the sand with your club next to Putting Green  Touching your ball, or during the backswing for your stroke. ● You also cannot touch the sand anywhere to test ● If you accidentally move Line of Play its condition or when making a practice swing. any player's ball (even ● You are allowed to your own) on the touch your line of play putting green, there is for any reason (including Actions no penalty, just replace  on the putting green). the ball. Allowed in

● Once you have lifted and replaced your Penalty ball on the putting green, your ball owns Areas that spot. If it then moves, you will always  Flagstick replace your ball no matter what caused the ● You are allowed to: movement, including wind or gravity. ● If your ball hits an unattended flagstick ● Ground your club in the hole, there is ● Take practice swings no penalty. ● Take penalty area relief ● Touch water ● Remove loose impediments

TAKING RELIEF PLAYING A BALL EQUIPMENT  Dropping and Accidental  Club Measuring Deflections Damage

Relief Area ● There is no penalty if ● You cannot replace your ball in motion is any club that you ● Drop your ball from accidentally deflected, damage during knee height so that it including by: the round. lands in and comes to rest in the relief area. ● Check to see if Model ● You Local Rule G-9 is in effect, ● Your relief area is either one or ● Your equipment which would allow you to two club-lengths, measured from the reference point ● Your partner replace a broken or significantly damaged club. (based on the Rule you are taking relief under). ● Your caddie ● A double hit ● Measure club-lengths using the longest club in your bag other than your putter. ● Generally, your ball will be played from  Yardage where it comes Books to rest.  Penalty Area ● There are limits Relief on the size and scale of ● For one penalty stroke,  green-reading you have two relief  materials that you options from a yellow are allowed to use. penalty area and three ● This applies to all materials, relief options from a red Search Time including yardage books, but only when you use penalty area.  them to read the green when you're playing from ● You have three Stroke-and-Distance (red or yellow) minutes to find your it, or when using a putter from anywhere else. Play from the relief area based on where your ball before it is lost. ● If you have questions, you should ask the previous stroke was made. Committee prior to your round.  Back-On-the-Line (red or yellow) Drop a ball within one club-length to either side of a straight line from the hole through the point where your ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area, going back as far as you'd like. Order your copy of  Lateral Relief (red only) ALLOWED NOT the Player’s Edition Help with ALLOWED Drop a ball within a two club-length relief area measured  of the Rules of Golf from where your ball last crossed the edge of the penalty Alignment usgapublications.com area, and no closer to the hole than that point. ● Your caddie or partner is not allowed to stand on or close to a line  Changing Balls behind your ball while Allowed When you are taking your Taking Relief stance and until your The USGA stroke is made. Rules of Golf App ● You can use your Available for FREE on original ball or another ● If you begin taking your stance with your caddie or iOS and Android devices ball when taking either partner behind your ball, you can back away and free relief or penalty relief. start over without penalty.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please visit usga.org/rules.

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