The ball fell off the tee — does it count?
No. If you haven't made a stroke at it, just tee it up again — no penalty. A whiff (swinging and missing) does count, though.
Rule R 6.2b
Rules & etiquette
The rules you need. None you don't.
The full Rules of Golf are vast. As a beginner you need maybe a dozen — explained in plain English and backed by the USGA & R&A.
Rules, on the course
Stuck on a ruling mid-round? Search a situation in plain words — works on your phone, no sign-in needed.
Try
The tee
Where am I allowed to tee up?
Every hole starts here — and so do the easiest rules to get right.
How many clubs can I have in the bag?
A maximum of 14 — count them before you tee off. One too many costs two strokes per hole (max four), not disqualification.
Rule R 4.1b
My drive might be lost — what now?
Say "provisional" out loud and hit another ball before you walk forward. If the first is gone, you're already in play — no walk of shame back.
Rule R 18.3
Fairway & rough
Ball on the cart path — what are my options?
The general area — where most of your golf happens, and where the free drops live.
Can I move leaves and twigs around my ball?
Yes — natural loose impediments can be moved anywhere. Just don't cause the ball to move; if you do, put it back (usually with a penalty stroke).
Rule R 15.1
The ball moved by itself — penalty?
If wind or gravity moved it, play it from the new spot — no penalty. If you caused it, put it back; that usually costs one stroke.
Rule R 9.2 · R 9.4
Unplayable ball — the three choices
One penalty stroke, your pick: replay from the previous spot, drop within two club-lengths (not nearer the hole), or drop back on the hole–ball line as far back as you like.
Rule R 19.2
The bunker
Unplayable in the bunker — what are my options?
Your ball is in the sand. You have more options than you think — one of them even gets you out without touching sand again.
You can
- Remove leaves, stones and other loose impediments
- Move the rake — anywhere, no penalty
You can't
- Touch the sand with your club right in front of or behind the ball
- Test the sand with a practice swing
Can I move the rake before I play?
Yes — rakes are movable obstructions and can be moved anywhere without penalty. If the ball moves while you do it, just put it back.
Rule R 15.2
What exactly counts as "touching the sand"?
You can't ground the club right in front of or behind the ball, take practice swings that touch sand, or test the surface. Leaning on your club while waiting is fine.
Rule R 12.2
Penalty areas (water)
Ball in the water — what are my options?
Red or yellow stakes mark a penalty area. One stroke buys you out — and red stakes give you an extra escape route.
Red vs yellow stakes — what's the difference?
Both allow replay-from-previous-spot and back-on-the-line (one stroke each). Red also allows sideways relief within two club-lengths. Most modern courses mark nearly everything red.
Rule R 17.1d
The putting green
What am I allowed to do on the green?
The friendliest place in the rulebook: here you may lift, clean, repair — and leave the flag in.
My ball is on the wrong green
You must take free relief — playing from another hole's green is not allowed. Find the nearest point off the green (not nearer the hole) and drop within one club-length.
Rule R 13.1f
Out of bounds & lost ball
When is a ball actually out of bounds?
White stakes are the course's hard edge. The rule stings — but a provisional ball takes most of the pain away.
How long can I search for a ball?
Three minutes from when you start searching. After that it's officially lost — stroke and distance.
Rule R 18.2a
Counting strokes with a provisional ball
Original stroke + penalty stroke + strokes with the provisional. Example: tee shot lost (1), penalty (2), provisional off the tee (3) — your next swing is your fourth.
Rule R 18.3
How to drop
What does a correct drop look like?
Every relief ends the same way: a ball dropped from knee height into the right area. Here's the whole craft.
One or two club-lengths — which is it?
Free relief = one club-length. Penalty relief (unplayable, lateral from red stakes) = two. Measure with the longest club in your bag except the putter.
Rule R 14.3 · R 19.2
What is the "reference point"?
The spot you measure from: the nearest point of complete relief (free drops), where the ball lies (unplayable), or where it last crossed the penalty-area edge. Club-lengths start there — never nearer the hole.
Rule R 14.3b
The ball rolled out of the relief area
Drop again. If it rolls out a second time, place it where it landed on that second drop. No penalty for any of this.
Rule R 14.3c
Go deeper
Scoring & par, explained
What par really means, how a hole is scored, and the names for going over or under — birdie, bogey, eagle and the rest.
1 min read
Penalties & taking a drop
Out of bounds, water, and unplayable lies — what each costs and where you get to play from, without the rulebook headache.
3 min read
How many clubs can I carry?
The fourteen-club rule, and why a beginner is better off carrying fewer.
2 min read
Pace of play & ready golf
The single most appreciated skill of a new golfer: keeping up — here's how, without rushing your swing.
1 min read
Etiquette & dress code
The unwritten rules that get you invited back — caring for the course, respecting others, and what to actually wear.
3 min read
The beginner-course quiz, explained (Veien til Golf)
Googling the answers to a beginner-course theory quiz? Here are the questions everyone gets stuck on — free drops, pace of play, how many clubs, and par — explained so you remember them on the course.
2 min read
Golf handicap, explained simply
What a handicap actually measures, why every new golfer starts at 54, and how the number comes down — without the math headache.
3 min read
Veien til Golf: what the beginner course is actually like
Norway's path onto the course — what the beginner course covers, what the days feel like, what it costs, and what happens the moment you pass.
2 min read