Simplify the game of golf and it seems like a pretty straightforward sport. You hit the golf ball with your clubs and try to get it in the hole in as few a strokes as possible. Basic, right? But golf is a sport that’s steeped in tradition. There’s a lot more to it. There are plenty of rules, nuisances, and etiquette guidelines that people adhere to. Well, some of the professionals certainly do. For others, it’s a bit more of a minefield. Some of these guidelines and rules just go out of the window when playing for fun.

There are actually a lot of these rules. Those at the helm of the game are a stickler for these rules and guidelines. It’s what leads people to the belief that golf is a bit of an old fuddy duddy’s game, that it’s stuck in the past and that it needs to move with the times. Recently, it has started to develop somewhat. But others, the majority of golfers, realize that these rules and guidelines are a part of what makes golf so great. Golf simply wouldn’t be golf without the enforcement of such rules, without people following the proper etiquette.

The fact the people break these rules and guidelines all the time, must do some people’s heads in. Traditionalists, students of the game and those who play golf to a high level, must be shaking their heads in disgust. But it happens. Sometimes, at a lower level of gameplay, people let these infractions slide and they’re just not enforced. There are 10 golf rules and 10 etiquette guidelines that people tend to break all the time.

20 Broken Rule: Can't Carry More Than 14 Clubs

You may have just treated yourself and shelled out for a load of brand spanking new golf clubs. You can’t wait to go out on the golf course and give them a try. That weekend golfing session with your buddy provides you with the perfect opportunity to do so. That’s all well and good as long as you don’t have more than 14.

Carry more than 14 golf clubs in your bag and you’ll be in violation of the rules. There aren’t many who’d see it fit to enforce such a rule. But it is part of the rulebook nevertheless. And anyway, 14 clubs should be plenty enough to get you around the course.

19 Broken Etiquette: Keeping Your Temper

Occasionally, whether you’re playing at your local club or watching the pros go about their business, you may see someone lose it. In all likelihood, you’ve probably seen someone thump their club into the ground or throw their toys out of the pram. Although the rules don’t dictate that you shouldn’t do this, it certainly doesn’t tie in with appropriate golfing etiquette.

Golf is a gentleman’s game, and win or lose, whether you’re doing well or badly, you’re supposed to keep your cool. True, if you’re having a stinker of a day, it’s easier said than done. But you’re supposed to gracious in defeat, respect the game and the other player.

18 Broken Rule: Can't Dish Out Or Ask For Advice 

Again, this is something that you probably see all the time. If you’re having a friendly game of golf, there isn’t really any point in sticking to this rule. After all, you’re trying to improve your game and so is your opponent. Giving your partner the odd bit of advice – no one’s going to give that a second thought. But do this in match play, and you’ll be in trouble. Many don’t even realize that giving and receiving advice out on the course is forbidden. You’re allowed to consult with your caddie. But not anyone else. There’s a two-stroke penalty for such an offence.

17 Broken Etiquette: Not Playing Too Slowly

For many people, enjoying a leisurely round of golf is the perfect way to spend an afternoon. That’s all well and good. But it can’t be too leisurely. You’ve got to keep up the pace. That’s because playing too slowly is bad golfing etiquette. In such a situation, you should make a gesture to the group behind you to let them play through. That’ll be good for them and good for you too. You don’t want a group who is playing fast, who is perhaps at a better level than you, to be stuck behind you, putting pressure on you and breathing down your neck.

16 Broken Rule: If A Ball Is In A Hazard, Hit A Ball Provisionally To Save Time

Okay, so now we’re getting rather technical – this is where things could get a tad complicated. The rule that’s always broken, is that people hit a provisional ball because they think their ball has been lost in a hazard or has gone out-of-bounds. If you think it’s been lost and you choose to hit a provisional ball, technically the ball is considered to still be in play. As a consequence, you get a two-stroke penalty. If your ball is not in a hazard, is outside the hazard line, pick it up and play on. Only if you know you ball is in a hazard can you play the ball provisionally from the same spot. You can’t elect where to play the shot.

15 Broken Etiquette: Repairing The Ground

You go to a golf course and very often the turf or grass will be in pristine condition. Sure, the courses have groundsmen to see to the maintenance of the course. But the golfers also play their part. As a golfer, you’re supposed to respect the hallowed green you’re playing on. That means seeing to it that you do your part to maintain the course. So, if you play a shot and take a divot out of the ground, it’s up to you to repair the ground. Push the turf back down with your club, give it a little prod. Don’t just move on, leaving chunks out of the ground as you go.

14 Broken Rule: Moving A Ball Away From An Obstruction

It happens to all of us. From time to time we play a shot and our ball ends up in a dire position. You go over to see where the ball has ended up and you just can’t see how you’re going to get out of it. It’s not in a hazard. But it could be obstructed by one. In this case, a lot of people would choose to move their ball into another position. Some would take a penalty stroke. But the ball must be played. If there’s an obstruction, there’s always another shot you can play. If that’s the case, you must take the shot.

13 Broken Etiquette: Not Standing In A Player's Line Of Sight 

This is basically just common sense. When you tee off, or play any shot for that matter, you want a clear sight of the shot you want to play. You don’t want any distractions in your line of sight. You need to be aware of this when playing with a partner too. Respect your partner’s shot and do your utmost to keep their line of sight clear. That means standing behind them, standing well clear when they’re about to take a shot. The exception to this of course is when they’re on the green and are putting. In this case you can remove the flag.

12 Broken Rule: Not Taking Relief When Finding A Water Hazard With Yellow Stakes

When your ball finds the water, you have three options. Some courses, some hazards, have designated drop areas. If the hole you’re playing has this, simply drop your ball in the drop area and resume play. Your second option is to identify where your ball last crossed the hazard. Drop your ball as far from that spot as you please and resume play. Your third option is the one that most prefer. Simply go back to your last shot, drop the ball as close as you can to where your last stroke was played. With a lateral hazard, you’re given a two-club length area to drop.

11 Broken Etiquette: Not Damaging The Turf With The Golf Cart

As previously mentioned, you’ve got to respect the course and the turf that you’re playing on. If you play a shot and take a chunk out of the turf, you’ve got to do your level best to repair it. That goes for any other damage that you might cause too. Your golf cart could cause some damage too. If it does, again, you need to repair the turf. Most courses have designated areas which you can use to take your golf cart from hole to hole. If your course has them, use them. Don’t drag your cart around on the pristine turf and risk damage.

10 Broken Rule: Must Be Able To Identify The Ball Being Played

If your ball gets lost in the rough or the long grass, you may come across a few other balls that have just been left and abandoned. You can’t just take a punt and play the ball you think is your own. A lot of people will do this and just pick the ball that’s closest to the hole, or is in the best position. That’s a big time no no. You’ve got to properly identify your ball. To do this, you’re allowed to pick your ball up, strictly for identification purposes. You’ve got to announce to your partner that you’re doing so, and let your fellow player inspect your inspection.

9 Broken Etiquette: Wearing Proper Golfing Attire

Golf is a gentleman’s game. People take the game very seriously. To play such a game, you’ve got to look the part. You’ve seen the pros. Most of them look very smart and classy when out and about on the course. Some can be a tad eccentric when it comes to their golfing attire. But they’re all well-dressed, look smart and in good shape. That’s proper etiquette. But you’ve probably seen it numerous times at your local course. People arrive looking unkempt and scruffy. Some golf clubs actually won’t allow you to play if you don’t look the part. You’ve got to look smart, so come dressed in proper golfing attire.

8 Broken Rule: Playing The Ball As It Lies

There are a number of lie rules in golf. It can get rather tricky to get your head around. The pros will be able to dictate them to you. But chances are if you’re a social player, you’re not going to have the foggiest. You’re most likely breaking them without even realizing it. The rule is, is that you can’t improve your lie. The ball must be played as it lies. So, for example, you can’t pick the ball out of the sand. You can’t tee a ball up when you’re in the rough and you can’t move it away from an obstruction into a preferred position.

7 Broken Etiquette: No Phones

In today’s day and age, this one might be hard to keep. It’s tough not to have your phone on you regardless of what you’re doing. We’re in the age of technology. People are glued to their phones all day. It’s hard for people to manage to turn it off and lock it away somewhere for a few hours. But that’s what you’re meant to do when playing a round of golf. Sure, nowadays, many people use golf as another way of having a leisurely business meeting. But even so, getting your phone out is against golfing etiquette. When you’re out on the course, focus on the game and the game alone.

6 Broken Rule: Can't Clear A Path For The Ball

Occasionally, you’re going to find yourself in some rough or in a hazard. You may still be able to play a shot, even though it may not look pretty. There may be something, an immovable object, that may be blocking the shot you want to play. Actually, whether it’s immovable or not is irrelevant. The rules of the game dictate that you can’t move this object. Even if it’s something as small as a branch, or even a twig, that’s in your line and may hamper your shot, you can’t move it. You absolutely cannot clear a path for the ball.

5 Broken Etiquette: When Possible, Help Players Out

This is different from not giving out or asking for advice. That, you’re not meant to do. But you can still help your fellow players in other ways. And you should if you can. It’s just about being attentive, and reading the situation. For example, when they play their shot, you might be thinking of your next shot, but you can still be a spotter for them. When it comes to lost balls, help them look. If you see a provisional ball that needs picking up, do so. Etiquette also involves congratulating players, if they’ve played a nice hole or have made a good shot.

4 Broken Rule: Re-Teeing

A lot of people get this one wrong. You see it all the time on courses around the world. If a sudden gust of wind blows the ball off the tee, people tend to make a fuss, invent some sort of rules or incur penalty strokes. That’s only the case if you yourself are responsible for making the ball fall off the tee. For example, if you hash your shot, you can’t just re-tee. You have to play the ball as it lies. This isn’t the case if your ball just falls off the tee. In this situation, you can just re-tee.

3 Broken Etiquette: Carefully Lay The Flagstick Down

Some of you might think that there are conflicting rules in golf. On the one hand you’re not meant to ask for or dish out any advice. But then you have to use your common sense when it comes to helping players. You shouldn’t stand in the player’s line of sight. But when it comes to putting, you can stand by the flag and get ready to remove it. When you do, don’t just chuck it to the ground. You’re supposed to carefully lay the flagstick down. Any little movement could result in the line of the ball changing, and consequently, a missed putt.

2 Broken Rule: Grounding The Club In A Bunker

You’ve probably noticed when you watch the pros that they practice their shot again and again before they actually play the ball. You probably do so too when out on the course. That’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. But you mustn’t touch the floor when you do so. You can when you’re on the green. But not when you’re in a hazard. When you’re in the bunker, you can’t disturb the sand during your practice shot. You have to play an air shot. In match play, if you’re in the bunker and you touch the sand during your practice shot, the penalty is severe. It’s actually the loss of a hole.

1 Broken Etiquette: Not Showing Up Early For Tee Time

This does the heads in of course organizers and those who cue up for tee times. A lot of people are guilty of not showing up on time for all sorts of things in life. We lead hectic lives, and sometimes, we don’t keep to our schedule. You can’t – or shouldn’t – do that when teeing off at a golf course. In fact, it’s not just about showing up on time. You should show up early. Not turning up early, or at the very least on time, means you’re potentially going to delay everyone later than you on the tee sheet.