Think you’ve got the Rules of Golf all figured out? Want to test your knowledge? Challenge yourself with our annual Rules Qiuz.

Let the NCGA be your guide to the Rules of Golf. Remember, knowing the Rules can help you save strokes!

By Ryan Gregg, NCGA Chief Operations Officer 

  1. In stroke play, a player’s second shot from the fairway comes to rest overhanging the lip of the hole. After the other players in the group play, the player reaches the hole. Seven seconds later the ball falls into the hole. What is the ruling?
    1. The ball is holed without penalty
    2. The ball is holed and gets a one stroke penalty
    3. The ball is not holed and must be replaced on the lip of the hole
    4. The ball is not holed and must be placed within one club-length of the hole

  2. On the 18th hole of a four-ball stroke play event, Player A hits their second shot into a greenside penalty area where the ball cannot be retrieved. Their partner, Player B, hits their ball onto the putting green. Player A is out of golf balls and does not have a ball with which to take relief from the penalty area. Player B, marks, lifts and gives their ball to Player A to use. After taking relief, Player A, plays to the putting green. They alternate using the same ball by marking and replacing it properly until the hole is completed. What is the ruling?
    1. There is no penalty to either player
    2. Player B gets a one penalty stroke for illegally substituting a ball. Player A is not penalized.
    3. Both players get two penalty stokes due to Player A’s breach of borrowing equipment from another player playing on the course.
    4. Player A is disqualified from the hole
  3. RulesQuizIn a stroke play event where Model Local Rule G-6 (Prohibiting Use of Motorized Transportation) is in effect, a player takes an unauthorized ride in a golf cart between the 9th and 10th Hole. What is the ruling?
    1. Two penalty strokes applied to the 9th Hole
    2. Two penalty strokes applied to the 10th Hole
    3. Two penalty strokes applied to the total score at the end of the round
    4. The player is disqualified

  4. In stroke play, a player’s ball came to rest against a rake in a bunker. When the player moved the rake, the ball rolled a few feet away. The player, uncertain what to do, announced to the other players in the group that they would play two balls and ask the Committee before returning their scorecard. The player notified the other players they wished to score with the original ball in its new location. After playing the original ball from where it came to rest, they then replaced another ball on the spot where the original ball had been located by pressing it into the sand so it would stay. What is the ruling?
    1. The chosen ball counts, without penalty
    2. The second ball counts, without penalty 
    3. The chosen ball counts, with two penalty strokes
    4. The second ball counts, with two penalty strokes

  5. After hitting their ball into a penalty area while playing the 6th hole in a stroke play competition, a player drops and plays from a dropping zone that is not in any of the relief areas defined in Rule 17.1 and that was declared out of play by the Committee for the competition. After completing their round, and before returning their scorecard, they notify the Committee. What is the ruling?
    1. There is no penalty
    2. The player gets a one penalty stroke, provided this was not a serious breach
    3. The player gets two penalty strokes, provided this was not a serious breach
    4. The player gets three penalty strokes, provided this was not a serious breach

  6. In stroke play, a player's tee shot for the 7th hole is found out of bounds. The player is told by a referee to proceed under Model Local Rule E-5 by dropping within two club-lengths in the fairway equidistant from where the ball was estimated to cross out of bounds. The player completes play of the hole in three more strokes. Prior to starting play of the next hole, it is discovered the Local Rule is not in effect for this tournament. What is the ruling?
    1. The player must continue playing and scored a 6 on the 7th hole
    2. The player must continue playing and scored a 7 on the 7th hole
    3. The player must fix the mistake by returning to the tee of the 7th hole and will be playing their 3rd stroke
    4. The player must fix the mistake by returning to the tee of the 7th hole and will be playing their 5th stroke
  7. RulesQuiz2In stroke play, a player drops within one club-length of their nearest point of complete relief from an abnormal course condition. The ball, after first striking the ground within the relief area, rolls closer to the hole a few inches, but remains within the relief area. The player picks up the ball and drops again in a different part of the relief area with ball rolling a few inches forward again. The player picks up the ball and places it on the spot where it struck the ground on the second drop and plays. What is the ruling?
    1. The player gets one penalty stroke
    2. The player gets two penalty strokes
    3. The player gets three penalty strokes 
    4. The player gets four penalty strokes
  8. While helping a player search for their ball in the rough, a referee accidently runs over it with their cart and the ball is now embedded in the ground. What is the ruling?
    1. The player must take embedded ball relief
    2. The player must recreate the lie and replace the ball
    3. The player must drop the ball as near as possible to the original spot
    4. The player must place the ball in the nearest most similar lie within a club-length

  9. In stroke play, a player's tee shot comes to rest in a red penalty area. They find their ball and make a stroke at it, but it comes to rest in deep water in the same penalty area. They return to the teeing area and complete the hole in three more strokes. What is their score?
    1. 5
    2. 6
    3. 7
    4. 8
  10. RulesQuiz3In match play, a player lightly grounds their club behind the ball and after a few seconds the ball moves a few inches away from its original spot. The player is certain they didn’t do anything to cause it to move. What is the ruling?
    1. There is no penalty. The ball must be replaced.
    2. There is no penalty. The ball must be played as it lies.
    3. The player gets one penalty stroke. The ball must be replaced.
    4. The player gets one penalty stroke. The ball must be played as it lies.

  11. In match play, Player A’s ball comes to rest in a red penalty area 10 yards from the hole. Player B’s ball is 20 yards from the hole. Player A chooses to take back on the line relief from the penalty area and drops 30 yards from the hole. Player A plays their next shot onto the putting green. What is the ruling?
    1. Player A has proceeded correctly
    2. There is no penalty and Player B may cancel Player A’s stroke 
    3. There is a one stroke penalty to Player A for playing out of turn and Play B may cancel Player A’s stroke
    4. Player A loses the hole for playing out of turn

  12. In stroke play, Player A played a stroke from the putting green. Unaware the ball was in motion, Player B inadvertently removed the flagstick from the hole which deflected the ball about a foot away. What is the ruling?
    1. Player A must cancel and replay the stroke, without penalty
    2. Player A must play the ball from where it came to rest, without penalty
    3. Player A must cancel and replay the stroke, Player B gets two penalty strokes
    4. Player A must play the ball from where it came to rest, Player B gets a two-stroke penalty

  13. In stroke play, on the 5th hole, a player hit their tee shot where it may be lost or out of bounds. They played a provisional ball to the fairway. After a brief search, the player determined the original ball was in a penalty area. The player elected to continue to play with the provisional ball and completed the hole in three more strokes. In the scoring area, this situation is brought to the attention of the committee. What is the player’s score?
    1. 5
    2. 6
    3. 7
    4. The player is disqualified
  14. In match play, a player’s ball came to rest on a sprinkler head near the putting green. After taking proper relief, the ball was at rest on the fringe. After a minute, and due to the severe slope, the ball rolled onto the putting green to within inches of the hole. What is the ruling?
    1. The ball must be played where it came to rest near the hole, without penalty
    2. The ball must be replaced, without penalty
    3. The ball must be played where it came to rest near the hole, one penalty stroke 
    4. The ball must be replaced, with one penalty stroke
  15. RulesQuiz4During play of the 3rd hole, a player discovers that they started with 15 clubs. What is the ruling?
    1. In both match and stroke play, there is no penalty if they have not used all 15 clubs and the player must immediately declare one out of play
    2. In both match and stroke play, if they declare a club out of play and later make a stroke with it, they get two more penalty strokes
    3. In match play, after completing the 3rd hole, the match score is adjusted by two holes in their opponent’s favor and the player must declare a club out of play before making their next stroke.
    4. In stroke play, they get two penalty strokes on each of their first two holes and may use all 15 clubs for the remainder of the round
  16. A player's tee shot came to rest in the rough. The player finds a ball and plays it onto the putting green. After two more strokes, the ball is holed. They lift the ball from the hole and realize that it is not their ball. What is the ruling?
    1. The player's score for the hole is six (four strokes and two penalty strokes)
    2. In all forms of play, the player gets two penalty strokes and must find and complete the hole with the original ball
    3. In match play, the player loses the hole
    4. In stroke play, the player is disqualified
  17. A player’s second shot went out of bounds. Without any local rules in effect, how must they proceed?
    1. The player must drop a ball as close as possible to the estimated spot from where they last played, no nearer the hole
    2. The player must drop a ball as close as possible to the estimated spot where they last played, and the ball may roll up to one club-length nearer the hole
    3. The player must place a ball within one club-length of the spot where they last played 
    4. The player must drop within one club-length of the spot where they last played, no nearer the hole
  18. In stroke play, a player's tee shot came to rest on the putting green. Prior to playing their next stroke, they removed an embedded rock on their line of play and fixed the hole caused by it, tapped down a few spike marks, repaired a deer’s hoof print and then touched the inside of the hole to clean up the edge damaged by a previous group. They complete the hole with their next stroke. What is their score?
    1. 2
    2. 3
    3. 4
    4. 5

RulesQuiz5

Answers

1) A. Rule 13.3. The player is allowed a reasonable time to reach the hole plus 10 seconds to see if the ball falls into the hole. The ball fell into the hole within the time allowed and is holed.

2) A. Rule 4.2a(1). Player A may borrow a ball from anyone. Player B’s ball was out of play when it was marked and lifted. However, Player A must complete play of the hole with the substituted ball per Rule 6.3b(2). Rule 14.2a requires Player B to replace their original ball and complete play of the hole.

3) B. Model Local Rule G-6. The player gets the general penalty (two strokes). The penalty applies to the 10th Hole. 

4) C. The Rules did not allow the procedure for either ball as both balls were in a wrong place. Rule 15.2a(1) required the ball to be replaced, and the ball that was replaced was replaced in a wrong place. Since neither ball was a serious breach of playing from a wrong place, Rule 20.1c(4) requires the Committee to count the ball played from its new position as the player chose that ball, plus any applicable penalties. In this case, the player played from a wrong place and gets two penalty strokes.

5) D. Rule 17.1, Rule 14.7 and 1.3c(4). The player played from a wrong place (two penalty strokes) and one penalty for taking relief from the penalty area. 

6) C. Rule 20.2d(1) Requires a referee to correct a wrong ruling if it is not too late to do so. Committee Procedures Section 6C(10)c specifies that when a referee advises a player to play from a wrong place and a serious breach is involved the ruling should be corrected so long as the player has not made a stroke to begin another hole. To proceed correctly, Rule 18.2 requires a player to play under penalty of stroke and distance for a ball out of bounds.

7) B. Rule 14.3c(1) indicates that if a dropped ball remains in the relief area, the relief procedure is complete and the ball must be played as it lies. Subsequently lifting the ball in play is a breach of Rule 9.4b. Failure to replace the ball results in the General Penalty (two strokes in stroke play).

8) D. Rule 14.2d(2). The ball must be placed on the nearest spot with a lie most similar to the original lie in the same area of the course, within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the original spot.

9) B. Rule 17.2a(2). Five actual strokes and one penalty stroke.

10) B. Definition of Moved. Rule 9.2b(2) and Rule 9.3. It was not known or virtually certain the player or anything else caused the ball to move, so the ball is treated as having been moved by natural forces. When a ball is moved by natural forces, in most cases, it must be played from where it comes to rest. 

11) B. Player A had a choice of where to play their next stroke. Rule 6.4d(1), indicates that because Player A’s ball was closer to the hole than Player B’s ball when it came to rest in the penalty area, this is the reference point for determining the order of play. Rule 6.4a(2) indicates in match play a player may cancel their opponent’s stroke if played out of turn.

12) B. Rule 13.2a(4) indicates that because the flagstick was removed from the hole without the intent to influence the movement of the ball, there is no penalty to anyone. Rule 13.2b(2) indicates that if a ball in motion accidentally hits the flagstick, the ball must be played as it lies. 

13) D. Rule 18.3c(3) indicates that when it is known or virtually certain the original ball is in a penalty area, the provisional ball must be abandoned. The player must proceed under Rule 17.1. When they continued play with the provisional ball, it was a wrong ball, and they were required to fix their error before starting the next hole. Failure to do so is a disqualification penalty under Rule 6.3c(1).

14) B. Rule 9.3 Exception 2. A ball moved by natural forces must be replaced if moves to another area of the course after having been dropped under the Rules.

15) C. Rule 4.1b. The penalty for having too many clubs is not a loss of hole, but an adjustment of the match score after the completion of the hole where the discovery was made and the player must immediately declare the excess club out of play.

16) C. Rule 6.3c. In match play, the player gets the general penalty (loss of hole) for playing a wrong ball.

17) D. Rule 18.2, Rule 14.6b. Using the reference point from where they last played, the player must drop within one club-length, no nearer the hole.

18) A. Rule 13.1c(2). The player may fix damage caused by any person or outside influence on the putting green.