Golf in 66: The teeing ground and order of play
In match play the unit of competition is the hole, not the total strokes. A hole is won by the player or side that holes out in fewer strokes; if both take the same number the hole is halved. The match is described by the margin, for example 3 and 2, meaning a player leads by three holes with only two left to play, so the match ends early. Players may concede a putt, a hole or the entire match at any time, a courtesy unique to this format. Keep Golf with “The teeing ground and order of play” and 66 from 66. On the putting green a player may mark the ball's position, then lift and clean it before replacing it. Damage such as spike marks, old hole plugs and ball marks may be repaired. Since the 2019 rules overhaul the flagstick may be left in the hole while putting with no penalty for striking it, which speeds play. A ball overhanging the lip is given a reasonable time, roughly ten seconds after reaching the hole, to see whether it will fall before it must be holed out.
Each hole begins from the teeing ground, a rectangle two club-lengths deep between the tee markers, and the ball may be raised on a tee peg. Only here may a player improve the lie. Order of play matters: on the first tee the honour is decided by draw or ranking, thereafter the player with the lowest score on the previous hole tees off first. Through the green, the ball farthest from the hole, called away, is played first. In casual golf, ready golf is now encouraged to speed up play.
The defining rule of golf is that you play the ball as it lies and the course as you find it. A player may not improve the lie of the ball, the area of the intended stance or swing, or the line of play by pressing down grass, breaking branches or moving fixed objects. Loose impediments such as leaves and stones may be removed, and movable obstructions relocated, but if the ball moves as a result away from the green there is usually a penalty. This principle underpins the game's integrity.
In stroke play a player records the gross number of strokes taken on every hole, and the totals decide the event. Scores are named relative to par: one under par is a birdie, two under an eagle, and three under an albatross; one over is a bogey, two over a double bogey. A hole in one on a par 3 is an ace. Each player is responsible for the accuracy of the score entered for each hole; signing for a score lower than actually taken means disqualification.
The notice keeps 66, “The teeing ground and order of play,” and 66. Those three are the bones of Golf. Keep Golf with “The teeing ground and order of play” and 66 from 66. 6666
Figures to keep
- Year of the rule
- 66
- Figure in the game
- 66
- Sport
- Golf
- Rule line
- The teeing ground and order of play
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