Play a sport in a big field, put some stuff in the way to make it hard to get to the hole, and stand back and watch the wild and wonderful happen.
You might think the Rules of Golf are odd, but they are written to try and cater for all the wacky things that can transpire when hitting a little ball towards a hole.
It’s one of the reasons the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf is a bulky tome – weighing in at more than 500 pages.
I’ve seen plenty of strange stuff on the course, but there are some surprises in that big book that can even catch me off guard. Imagine if they happened to you out on the course!
Last time out, we looked at what happens if your ball is stuck in a piece of fruit, how you can get relief from someone’s spittle, and when you can hit a ball moving in water.
But I promise you, this latest collection of weird golf rules is just as bizarre. So let’s get right into them…
Weird golf rules: How many of these do you know?
Be careful with that coke bottle!
You’ve had a slurp of a soft drink and can’t be bothered to put it back in your bag. Just be careful how you use it though, because it can get you into trouble!
Did you know you can use a club as a plumb line to help you judge slopes and gauge the contours? But you can’t use a bottled drink to act as a level!
In this case, the bottle is classed as equipment and there is a clarification to Rule 4.3a (1) that rules this act out. It’s quite the home-made spirit level, if you think about it, but don’t do it. You’ll get a two-shot penalty, or will lose a hole in match play, for the first time you breach this rule.
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Do it again and it’s back in the clubhouse for you. Yes, that’s right. You will be disqualified!
Weird golf rules: You don’t always have to hit the ball!
This is a tricky spot. Your ball is lying close to a boundary post. You can’t fashion a conventional stroke and, as it’s just in bounds, you reckon your only option is taking unplayable ball relief and adding a penalty shot.
But wait, there might be another way! You know, of course, you can stand out of bounds to hit a ball that is in bounds. But did you know you don’t have to make contact with the ball first?
There is a clarification to Rule 10.1a that says “other material may intervene” between the ball and clubhead during a stroke.
You can actually hit the fence to try and make the ball move. It will probably take quite a clout, and who knows the damage it will do to your club, but the rules do allow it.
Don’t forget about the cactus rule!
I’m going to call this the cactus rule, because that’s how it is outlined in the rules, but it really applies to any prickly situation you might find yourself in out on the course.
Let’s imagine your ball is a bit too up close and personal to some shrubbery that has a rather violent means of defending itself. You’d rather not end up with a personal crown of thorns when playing a stroke but declaring your ball unplayable is too much to bear.
Wait, there is your golf towel – any means of fabric is actually OK – and you can use it to devastating effect!
You obviously can’t cover the offending area with it. That would be improving your area of intended stance and would very clearly violate Rule 8.1a (2).
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But you are allowed to wear protective clothing to help you against the elements. And a clarification to Rule 10.2b (5) specifically says you can wrap a towel around your body to protect yourself against a cactus (or holly, or brambles, or whatever you might be facing).
Now I’ve finally worked out why people carry those huge golf towels round the course!
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.
What do you think of these weird golf rules? We’ve got plenty more to come, but let us know some of the oddest decisions you have had to make on the golf course. Drop us a line on X.
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