There is a course I have played – which will remain nameless – where it seemed the only way a visitor could successfully get round was equipped with something from Ordnance Survey.
It was a labyrinth. I think my dusty old skeleton would still be trapped there had I not spied a group in the distance and tracked them for dear life.
When we play a strange layout, it’s not unusual for us to stray off the beaten path. Let’s be honest, we’ve all got lost once or twice.
But is the way you negotiate a course a crucial part of the exercise? I’ve been asked this very question on email:
“Whilst playing a strange course on one of our society trips, the fourball in front of us unknowingly played the 18th instead of the 16th, then carried on and played 17 to finish on 16.
“A pair from the fourball came in with the lowest score and were awarded the pairs prize. It was an honest mistake so no objections were made. But was it technically correct?”
Is it 1 to 18 or else? Or are you at liberty to wander where the mood takes you?
Lost on the golf course: Do you have to play holes in the right order?
What is a round? It is “18 or fewer holes played in the order set by the committee”, according to the definitions in the Rules of Golf.
Rule 5.1 reiterates this point – using exactly the same language – so making it clear that it’s down to the organisers how that is stipulated.
There are obvious reasons for that. Perhaps a hole is closed. Perhaps you’re playing a competition that reverses nines or plays some loops. Basically, the order in which you play is in their hands.
But let’s say the usual rules apply – 1 to 18 – and you’ve made a mistake. You’ve got to start each hole by playing a ball from inside the teeing area. Rule 6.1b (1) says you haven’t done that if you’ve hit “from a wrong set of tee markers for a different teeing location on the same hole or a different hole”.
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In stroke play, you get slapped with the general penalty – two shots – and you’ve got to fix the mistake. If you don’t and make a stroke to begin another hole or, if it’s the final hole of a round, return your scorecard then the penalty is disqualification.
Finally, I don’t delve too often into the Rules of Handicapping in this column but there is a clarification to Rule 2 – covering whether a score is acceptable for handicap purposes – that reveals a quirk.
If a player has not been disqualified then a score can count for handicap “even if the holes in a round have not been played in the order set by the Committee”.
It uses the example of when a course is busy and starting a round from “an alternative hole will allow a quicker pace of play”, or when playing holes in a different order would allow more people to get round – one to bear in mind as the days get darker earlier.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column. Send me your questions by emailing me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com
What do you think about this lost on the golf course rule? You can also let me know by leaving a comment on X.
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