Rule 11: Teeing Ground
- Tee your ball between the tee-markers or a little behind them. You may tee your ball as far as two club lengths behind the markers.
- If your ball accidentally falls off the tee before making your first stroke, you may replace it without penalty.
- A hazard is any bunker (a hollow area containing sand) or water hazard (lake, stream, drainage ditch, etc).
- In a bunker or water hazard, if sand or leaves cover your ball, you may remove enough of the sand or leaves to be able to see a part of the ball.
- You may lift your ball to identify it anywhere on the course. You must tell your opponent or fellow competitor before you lift your ball to identify it.
- You must play the ball as it lies. You may not move it to a better spot.
- You may not improve your lie by pressing down behind the ball. The club may be grounded only lightly behind the ball.
- You may not improve the area of your stance, intended swing or line of play by bending or breaking anything growing, such as tree branches or long grass.
- In a bunker you may not touch the sand, or in a water hazard touch the ground or water, with your club before or during your back swing.
- In any hazard, you may not remove loose impediments (natural things such as leaves or twigs) but you may remove obstructions (artificial objects such as bottles or rakes.)
- You must strike the ball fairly with the head of the club. You may not push, scrape or rake the ball, nor accept any assistance or use any artificial aid in making your stroke.
- You must not hit your ball while it is moving (except in water).
- If you play a ball that is not yours, you lose the hole in match play, or incur a two-stroke penalty in stroke play.
- If any part of your ball is touching the green, it is on the green.
- When your ball is on the green, you may brush away leaves and other loose impediments, but otherwise do not touch your line of putt.
- You may repair ball marks or old hole plugs, but do not repair marks made by spikes or shoes before playing.
- You may not test the surface of the green by rolling a ball or scraping the surface.
- Always mark your ball by putting a small coin or other marker behind it when you want to pick it up to clean it or get out of another player's way.
- If your ball overhangs the edge of the hole you can wait ten seconds to see if it drops in. If it falls in after 10 seconds, add a penalty stroke to your score.
- If your ball is played from off the green, there is no penalty if your ball strikes the flagstick, provided no one is attending it.
- If your ball is on the green, do not putt with the flagstick in the hole. Either take the flagstick out or ask another player to hold it and take it out when you play your ball. In match play, if you putt and your ball hits the flagstick when it is in the hole, you lose the hole. In stroke play, you must add two penalty strokes to your score.
