You must fairly strike at the ball with the head of the club such that there is only momentary contact between the club and the ball and you must not push, scrape or scoop the ball. If your club ...

Purpose of Rule: Rule 16 covers when and how you may take free relief by playing a ball from a different place, such as when you have interference by an abnormal course condition or a dangerous animal ...

Net double bogey, and Net par. It is important that an accurate par be established for each hole on a golf course for both men and women, and these values should be printed alongside each hole on the ...

Play the course as you find it and play the ball as it lies. Play by the Rules and in the spirit of the game. You are responsible for applying your own penalties if you breach a Rule, so that you ...

Have your Handicap ID (e.g., GHIN #) and email address associated with your account ready. When you sign up for a Handicap Index through USGA.org, you’ll receive membership to your local Allied Golf ...

Thank you for visiting USGA.org. For the optimal experience we recommend you upgrade to Windows 10 with Microsoft Edge or install one of the proposed browsers, or visit us on your mobile device.

Purpose of Rule: Rule 23 covers Four-Ball (played either in match play or stroke play), where you and your partner compete as a side with each of you playing a separate ball. Your side’s score for a ...

Playing either as an individual or with a partner as part of a side, and Scoring either by gross scores (no handicap strokes applied) or net scores (handicap strokes applied). Most of the Rules apply ...

If an 18-hole round is being played over the same 9 holes from the same tees and there is no 18-hole Course Rating, the 18-hole Course Handicap is calculated as follows: Rounding to the nearest whole ...

USGA Members are essential to the success of our vision to create a more welcoming, sustainable and accessible game for all golfers. By funding research and innovation to foster the sustainability of ...

In an authorized format of play (see Rule 2.1a Played in an Authorized Format of Play) over at least the minimum number of holes required for either a 9-hole or an 18-hole score to be acceptable (see ...