Most golfers think they know the rules… until they realize they’ve been breaking half of them for years. From incorrect drops to bad relief procedures to simple mistakes on the putting green, these rule violations happen every single round. In this video, we break down the top 10 golf rules you’re probably breaking without even realizing it—including a few that even experienced players get wrong all the time.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
• The handicap posting rule almost everyone ignores
• Why “improving your lie” happens more than people admit
• When practice swings are and aren’t allowed to touch the ground
• The proper way to replace your ball on the green (most golfers mess this up)
• The club-advice rule nearly every casual golfer breaks
• How to correctly count penalty strokes (and when they’re one vs. two)
• The 2019 rule changes that golfers still apply incorrectly
• What “nearest point of complete relief” actually means
• When you can touch your line of putt—and when you absolutely cannot
• The lost-ball procedure almost no one follows correctly
If you want to play the game the right way—and avoid accidental penalties—this video will clear up the rules you’ve been breaking for years. Drop a comment with the rule that surprised you most, and don’t forget to subscribe for more easy golf explainers.
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Let’s be honest, most golfers don’t know all the rules of golf. And even if they do, they’re probably breaking a few without realizing it. From casual rounds with your buddies to weekend tournaments, there are rules you’re violating that could be costing you strokes or giving you an unfair advantage. In this video, I’m counting down the top 10 golf rules you’re probably breaking right now. Some of these might surprise you, and one of them is something almost every amateur golfer does wrong on the putting green. Let’s make sure you’re playing by the actual rules, not the ones you think you know. Number 10, not posting all your scores for handicap. If you have an official handicap, you must post every acceptable attested score, casual or competition, played under the rules on a rated course. Solo practice rounds without a marker aren’t acceptable for posting. What makes this rule commonly broken is that many golfers only post their good scores or only post tournament scores. This artificially lowers their handicap, which is essentially sandbagging. The World Handicap system requires you to post all acceptable scores. An acceptable score is any round played under the rules of golf on a course with a valid course rating and slope rating with someone to attest witness your score. This includes rounds where you didn’t finish all 18 holes. You can post a partial score using net par completion guidelines. It includes rounds where you played poorly. It includes casual rounds with friends as long as someone attests your score. The exceptions are rounds played in formats that don’t allow posting, like scrambles or practice rounds where you aren’t playing by the rules of golf, hitting multiple balls, not counting penalties, etc. Number nine, improving your lie in the rough. One of the most commonly broken rules is improving your lie when your ball is in the rough. This happens in subtle ways that many golfers don’t even realize are violations. What makes this rule frequently violated is that golfers will press down grass behind the ball, move grass away from the ball, or create a better stance by stepping down the area around their ball. The rule is simple. You must play the ball as it lies. You can’t improve your lie, your line of play, your stance, or your swing area by moving, bending, or breaking anything growing or fixed. You can take your stance fairly, which means you can place your feet firmly, but you can’t press down excessively or create a better stance than the natural lie provides. You also can’t move grass or debris away from behind your ball to give yourself a cleaner strike. If your ball is sitting down in thick rough, that’s part of the challenge. You can’t fluff it up to make it easier to hit. Number eight, taking too many practice swings that touch the ground. Many golfers take multiple practice swings that brush the grass or ground, especially in the rough or around the greens. Depending on where you are, this can be a violation. What makes this rule commonly broken is that golfers don’t realize that in certain areas, touching the ground with your club during practice swings can be improving your lie or testing conditions. In bunkers, you can’t deliberately test the sand or touch the sand with your club in a practice swing on the back swing or right in front of suck behind the ball. Incidental contact elsewhere is okay if you don’t gain an advantage. In penalty areas, you can now touch the ground or water during practice swings. This changed in 2019, so this is no longer a violation there. The key is understanding where you are and what’s allowed in the general area. Fairway rough practice swings that touch the ground are fine as long as you’re not improving your lie or testing conditions. Number seven, not replacing your ball properly on the green. When you mark your ball on the green, lift it, and replace it, you must put it back in exactly the same spot. Many golfers are sloppy about this and place it slightly forward or in a better position. What makes this rule commonly violated is that golfers will mark their ball, clean it, and then place it back down without carefully aligning it with their marker, often placing it an inch or more from the original spot. The proper procedure is to place your marker directly behind your ball or beside it. Lift the ball and when replacing it, put it directly in front of the marker in the exact same spot. If you place your ball even slightly closer to the hole than where it was, you’re playing from the wrong place, which is a two-stroke penalty in stroke play. This became a famous issue when Lexi Thompson was penalized four strokes at the 2017 A&A inspiration for replacing her ball about an inch from where it should have been. While the situation was controversial, it highlighted how seriously this rule is taken. Number six, asking what club someone hit. This is one of the most commonly broken rules in casual golf. You’re not allowed to ask another player what club they used for a shot. It’s considered asking for advice. What makes this rule frequently violated is that it seems harmless. You see your buddy hit a great shot and naturally ask, “What’d you hit?” But that’s a two-stroke penalty in stroke play or loss of hole in match play. The rule states that you can’t ask for or give advice about club selection except to your partner or caddy. Advice is defined as any council that could influence a player’s club selection, swing, or play. You can ask about distance. That’s public information. You can ask where the pin is located, but you can’t ask what club someone used or suggest what club they should use. In casual rounds, most people ignore this rule. But in any competition or when playing by the strict rules, it’s a violation that carries a serious penalty. Number five, not counting penalty strokes correctly. Many golfers don’t properly count penalty strokes, either because they don’t know the correct penalty or because they’re trying to save face on their score. What makes this rule commonly broken is confusion about when penalties are one stroke versus two strokes, and what happens with stroke and distance penalties. A one-stroke penalty applies when you hit into a penalty area, declare an unplayable lie, or move your ball when you shouldn’t. A two-stroke penalty applies when you play from the wrong place, hit the wrong ball, or violate certain other rules. Stroke and distance means you add one stroke and must replay from where you last hit. If your drive goes out of bounds, your next shot from the tee is your third shot. First shot went OB, add penalty stroke, then hit again. Many golfers will hit a ball OB, drop another ball near where it went out and count it as their third shot. That’s wrong. It should be their fourth shot if they’re using the model local rule or they should go back to the tea. If you’re realizing you’ve been breaking some of these rules, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Hit that subscribe button right now and tap the bell icon so you don’t miss future videos that help you play golf the right way. I’m committed to helping you understand the game better and avoid those awkward moments when someone calls you out for a rules violation. Drop a comment below telling me which of these rules you’ve been breaking. I read every comment and I promise I won’t judge. Now, let’s get into the final five rules that almost everyone gets wrong. Number four, grounding your club in a hazard. Old thinking. Many golfers still think you can’t ground your club in any hazard, but the rules changed in 2019. However, people are breaking the current rules by not understanding what’s actually allowed now. What makes this rule commonly misunderstood is that the old rule was drilled into golfers heads for decades, and many haven’t updated their knowledge. In penalty areas marked with red or yellow stakes, you can now ground your club, take practice swings that touch the ground or water, and remove loose impediments. This is a significant change from the old water hazard rules. However, in bunkers, you still can’t ground your club right in front of or behind the ball or deliberately test the sand’s condition. You can touch the sand incidentally and remove loose impediments. Another 2019 change. Many golfers are either still playing by the old rules, not grounding in penalty areas when they’re allowed to, or breaking the current rules, grounding in bunkers in ways that aren’t permitted. Number three, not taking proper relief from immovable obstructions. When you get relief from an immovable obstruction like a cart path or sprinkler head, many golfers don’t follow the proper procedure and end up taking relief incorrectly. What makes this rule commonly broken is that golfers don’t understand what nearest point of complete relief means and don’t measure properly when dropping. The correct procedure is first determine if you have interference. The obstruction affects your stance or swing, not just your line. If you do, find the nearest point where you have complete relief from the obstruction. No closer to the hole. Then drop within one club length of that point. No closer to the hole. The ball must come to rest in that relief area. Many golfers just drop away from the obstruction without finding the proper nearest point of relief, or they drop more than one club length away, or they drop closer to the hole than the nearest point of relief. Getting this wrong means you’re playing from the wrong place, which is a two-stroke penalty if you don’t correct it before playing your next shot. Number two, touching your line of putt. Many golfers think you can never touch your line of putt, but the 2019 rules changes relaxed this significantly. However, golfers are breaking the current rules by not understanding what’s actually allowed. What makes this rule commonly misunderstood is that the old rule was very strict about not touching your line. And many golfers still think that’s the case. You can now remove loose impediments, sand, leaves, loose soil from your line of putt. You can repair almost any damage on your line, including spike marks, ball marks, and animal damage. What you still can’t do is improve your line by pressing down bumps or creating a path for your ball. You can repair damage, but you can improve conditions that aren’t damaged. Many golfers either don’t take advantage of the new rules, not removing sand or fixing spike marks when they’re allowed to, or go too far, pressing down their line to create a smoother path. Number one, not searching for lost balls properly. The number one rule most golfers break is not following proper lost ball procedures. The search time is 3 minutes, and if you can’t find it, you must go back to where you last played. What makes this the most commonly broken rule is that almost no one in casual golf actually goes back to replay from the previous spot. Instead, they drop a ball near where they think it was lost and take a one-stroke penalty. The actual rule is stroke and distance. You add one stroke and must replay from where you last hit. If you hit your drive into the woods and can’t find it, you must go back to the tee, add a penalty stroke, and hit again, making your next shot your third shot. The drop it near where it was lost method isn’t the official rule, though many courses have adopted model local rule E5 that allows this for a two-stroke penalty to speed up play. Also, the search time is 3 minutes, not five. Many golfers spend way longer than 3 minutes looking for a ball, which is technically a lost ball after 3 minutes. If you’re playing in any competition or trying to maintain an official handicap, you need to follow the actual lost ball rule, not the casual gallery rule most people use. So, there you have it. The top 10 golf rules you’re probably breaking. Remember, knowing the rules isn’t just about avoiding penalties. It’s about playing the game fairly and with integrity. Golf is unique because it’s self-p policing, and that only works if everyone knows and follows the rules. You don’t need to be a rules expert, but understanding these commonly broken rules will help you play more confidently and avoid those awkward moments when someone points out you’ve been doing something wrong. The next time you play, keep these rules in mind and play the game the right way. Hit that like button if this helped you understand the rules better, and I’ll see you on the course.
