Common Sense Golf Rules For The Everyday Player
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Common Sense Golf Rules For The Everyday Player

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Common Sense Golf Rules For The Everyday Player

The words “common sense” and “golf rules” don’t always go together, do they?

Yes, the Rules of Golf are sacred and exist for good reason. The rules are the last stand against chaos, anarchy and, God help us all, golf balls that go too far.

But what about our “friendly” matches? Do we really need to be Rules Nazis? Are there some common sense modifications that can not only make the game a little more fun but maybe even help move along pace of play?

 Here are a few that we’ve used over the years. And as long as everyone agrees ahead of time, or even agrees during the round itself, the legendary adage applies.

No harm, no foul.

Common sense golf rules for the everyday golfer

Common Sense Golf Rules: Cousin Paul and Me

My cousin Paul and I play friendly matches. We don’t play for money. We play for family pride. After all, it’s important to us to know which side of la famiglia Barba can hold its head high with pride: The witty, good-looking and intelligent side – or Paul’s.

For starters, we don’t give strokes. My handicap is lower but, as we established years ago, Paul is a Level II sandbagger. Instead, we give strokes based on who won the last match. For instance, when I win, Paul gets a stroke the next time we play. When I win again, Paul gets another stroke. If Paul wins, I get a stroke back and we drive to the nearest airport to watch the flying pigs land.

Common sense golf rules for everyday golfers.

I kid, I kid. But we will skip over the Great Crumpin-Fox Debacle of 2022.

But we have developed our own set of common sense golf rules to govern our matches. They’re fair and, most importantly, keep the pace of play moving. You probably know most of these and, depending on how seriously you take even friendly competitions, you might find them to be either a smart way to play or an abomination. No matter, but it is important to remember the most common sense golf rule of all.

Golf is a game. And games are supposed to be fun.

Breakfast Balls

You’re not going to find “breakfast ball” in the USGA Rules handbook. You won’t find “mulligan,” either.

Anyway, we give one breakfast ball on the first tee, even if it’s after lunch.

Common sense golf rules

The Breakfast Ball Corollary

On a busy weekend, we’ll use the Breakfast Ball Corollary. We’ll agree before teeing off that if one player hits out of bounds and the other player doesn’t, the out-of-bounds player has the option to play from the in-bounds player’s position with no penalty. The only condition is the guy who hit his tee shot out of bounds can’t win the hole.

The best he can do is halve the hole.

White Stakes, Shmite Stakes

The Common Sense Golf Rules handbook (someone really ought to write that) insists on ignoring white stakes. Officially, if you’re O.B. on white stakes, you have to take a stroke-and-distance penalty. But say it’s a crowded Saturday and you hit your tee shot left toward some white stakes. When you get there, you can’t find your ball and it’s clearly out of bounds. Rather than schlep back to the tee box to hit again (and irritate the group behind you), common sense golf rules say drop, take a penalty stroke and hit from there.

In other words, treat white stakes as red stakes. Everyone’s happy, especially the group behind us.

Sure, we could play a provisional and sometimes we do. But, again, pace of play is important and extra shots can add up over 18 holes.

The No-Fault Tree Root Rule

This one’s a no-brainer.

If you find your ball in the middle of a bunch of tree roots, apply common sense golf rules. It’s OK to move the ball out of harm’s way as long as you don’t toss it into the middle of the fairway. No sense in breaking a wrist or bending a club.

I’ll admit, there have been times in the closing holes of a tight match, I’ve been tempted to say, ‘Hey, you hit it there, jackass. Suck it up.” But it’s just a game.

Common sense golf rules.

And I’ll want that same break in the closing holes of another match.

And if moving the ball away from the roots somehow improves your look at the green, we invoke the “What Kind of a Moron Puts a Tree There” Deviation.

One thing to note. There’s a big difference between being “in the tree roots” and “against a tree.” Against a tree is an unplayable lie and you take the stroke. Trying to hit a ball in the roots is doable, but stupid. Move the ball.

No harm, no foul.

The Sean Fairholm Memorial Fairway Divot Exception

Yeah, you knew this one was coming, didn’t you? It may be the most hotly debated of the common sense golf rules but we use it liberally.

Common sense golf rules.

Look, we’re not playing for high stakes, low stakes or even pocket change. We are playing for family pride and I’d hate to beat Paul yet again simply because on the rare occasion when his tee shot finds the fairway it rolls into a divot someone didn’t bother filling.

I want Paul to have every advantage possible in our matches. It makes the post-match gloating that much more satisfying.

Rolling the Ball/Fluffing the Lie

This one is a gray area but we’ve both caught each other doing. I don’t like it when he does it. He doesn’t like it when I do it. But we are men of honor. We may play fast and loose with the strict rules of golf, but we follow the Code of Omerta religiously. None of this share-your-feelings crapola for us. We take our secrets and our grudges to the only place they belong.

The grave.

Lost In Plain Sight

The Lost In Plain Sight rule has an autumnal corollary known as the Leaf Rule. You hit a good shot or even a not-so-good shot and you know, you just know, the ball should be findable. Both of you know the ball has to be right here. But you can’t find it. That’s when we institute the Lost In Plain Sight rule.

You drop in the general area with no penalty. Hey, this isn’t the PGA Tour where you have spotters, TV crews and a gallery to run down every shot. This is Red Tail, Butter Brook or any other public access track on a busy weekend. We make do.

The Leaf Rule does have some merit as some courses have been known to institute it as a local rule in the fall. Hey, it’s not your fault that nature, in its infinite wisdom, decided trees should drop their leaves and go commando every October.

Family Never Four-Putts

Pretty straightforward. Besides, if you don’t have a tap-in after three putts, you’ve probably lost the hole anyway.

Common Sense Golf Rules: It’s a Game After All

The goal of these common sense golf rules is simple. We’re out to have a good time and neither of us is a walking rule book. We compete pretty fiercely and the common sense rule approach is designed to be fair and to keep the pace moving along.

And, no, we don’t sign our scorecards, either.

What unofficial common sense rules do you use on the course?

For You

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John Barba

John Barba

John Barba

John is an aging, yet avid golfer, writer, 6-point-something handicapper living back home in New England after a 22-year exile in Minnesota. He loves telling stories, writing about golf and golf travel, and enjoys classic golf equipment. “The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight.” - BenHogan

John Barba

John Barba

John Barba





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      GONERIGHTAGAIN

      9 months ago

      Pretty much the same for me and my friends. When we play on our regular course though we play with a one breakfast ball on any of the first 3 holes. Reason for first 3 is that the 1st hole is a wide open par 5, but with OB on the left which is right off the tee. The 2nd is a par 4 that is tight out of the shoot with water on the right around 200yds out, then the 3rd is a par 3 which many people yank left. So you get to keep yourself in the round in case you mess up one of the first 3 drives

      Reply

      Sean Fairholm

      9 months ago

      I will wear the fairway divot dig as a badge of honor! Although reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated…

      Reply

      Larry Ingram

      9 months ago

      John — Finally someone gets me. All of the recent USGA changes and the constant newsletter from my home club informing me of the new rules and reminding me of the old ones. Phooey on all that. It was refreshing to read some “common sense” rules. In fact, you will find all of these and more on our league website. http://www.msg9.net
      Thanks, John, we need this confirmation.

      Reply

      Dean D

      9 months ago

      Who cares if your score is 5 shots higher? It isn’t really golf if you don’t play by the rules. One simple one works most of the time. Play it as it lies if you can’t do whatever is fair. Don’t take advantage. You will shoot higher scores -so what.

      I love scrambles, we play a tournament where you throw the ball once a hole. My 62 is a score then but not a golf score.

      Old guys can still play by the rules some of us can still hit it as far as we did in our 40’s & 50’s. I played Torrey Pines walking with a 95 year old once he walked 9 holes played fast & by the rules.

      Reply

      Charles Jenkins

      9 months ago

      If you play by the rules, then you don’t play a scramble as it is not a recognized format by the USGA

      Reply

      KevinS

      9 months ago

      Anyone can play a scramble. But you (obviously) cannot post the score since it isnt a recognized format by the USGA.

      Archie Shipp

      9 months ago

      Probably the most common one the guys in my group use is to Drop (on the previous line) and Stroke for any lost, OB, unplayable ball, etcetera. Yes, I know that is the actual rule for a few of those, but we just combine it for anything of that sort rather than using Stroke and Distance or Two Club lengths or whatever. Because well struck shots should never be penalized, we also do a Six-Inch Reposition rule for fairway divots and Full Time Pick and Clean for any mud balls, which happen frequently in a climate like Myrtle Beach. No mulligans either. You can re-hit if you want, but you are counting the stroke, so you might as well just go find it and hit from there.

      Reply

      Mickey B

      9 months ago

      Tell me how you define a divot. Only a fresh one totally unrepaired? 25% grown in? 50% grown in? 75% grown in? Are you sure it’s a divot and not just an irregularity in the fairway? Both you and your competitor(s) have to agree it’s a divot, or you can unilaterally declare it’s a divot?

      Reply

      Gene

      9 months ago

      If you love the game of golf you love playing by the rules! Love being in the minority on this one because it tells me I’m right. This goes deeper than golf , it is an issue with our society. People want to do as they please and have no consequences for their behavior. These are the same people abusing the rules that govern driving, income tax returns, insurance requirements and so on. If you don’t like the rules, take appropriate action to change them or don’t play the game.

      Reply

      KevinS

      9 months ago

      I am 100% with you. Some have suggested pace of play as an excuse to relax rules. That is a myth. Playing by the rules does NOT slow the game down. You hit one you think is OB or lost (woods without white stakes)- you immediately hit a provisional. Or if you get to OB area without provisional off tee- immediately drop in fairway laterally to OB entry and hit 4th stroke. Find you ball on a tree root- hit it or move it a club length and add penalty stroke. Part of ANY game’s enjoyment for a group should be the “luck” or rub-of-the-green factor. Games include strategy, execution, luck, skill etc. Bad breaks and shots are part of the game.

      Reply

      EG

      9 months ago

      I don’t think there’s anything here that at least one of us haven’t done, likely multiple times. Breakfast balls are always in play, and never take another tee shot if your ball is OB unless you’re playing a tournament. We all have lives and play just enough to be dangerous. No one likes “that guy” who just has to play like it’s the PGA. It’s a game after all, enjoy it – especially with friends or family.

      Reply

      Steve Prokosch

      9 months ago

      Actually, if you go OB and you throw it back in play, you should add 2 . That way, you are hitting 4 as if you played it straight. Face it, you probably wouldn’t have striped your reload anyway.

      Reply

      Michel

      9 months ago

      With two clubs length in the fairway, you play 4. I agree.

      Reply

      Bill

      9 months ago

      Totally agree with relaxing the rules mentioned when playing with your friends and most are over 70 years old.

      Reply

      Jack

      9 months ago

      Red Tail, Butter Brook, Crumpin Fox you are playing in my backyard routes 2 and 495 in Massachusetts! Can you share your “must play” courses in this area? Thank you!

      Reply

      John Barba

      9 months ago

      Those three for sure. Not a huge fan of Shaker HIlls, but cousin Paul likes it (he beats me there). Play most of my golf at Breakfast Hill in Greenland, NH, and have played a few times as a guest at Ferncroft. Grew up playing Stow Acres but that’s gone downhill. Love Pinehills – early season rates are favorable, as well as the other courses in Plymouth. Really enjoy Merrimac Country Club – I think it’s the first course Donald Ross designed in MA. Not a fan of Cyprian Keyes, but there are so many other fun tracks around.

      Reply

      Paul Barba

      9 months ago

      Do you notice John doesn’t like any of the courses where ai regularly beat him. I’m seeing a trend here!

      Paul G

      2 months ago

      Donald Ross’s first course when he came to the US, is Oakley Country Club in Watertown, MA. In 1898.
      I played Merrimack many times. Fun course during and after the round!

      Gary Dulin

      9 months ago

      an addendum, “Uniminity rule” is once per 9 holes. They do have fun!

      Reply

      Gary Dulin

      9 months ago

      I play w/ a group of senior golfers who have their own rules. on #1 “hit till your Happy” a variation of the breakfast ball. “Atrocious lie” combines the rule of being on roots, divots or against trees. They have the “uniminity rule” if everyone agrees they all hit horrible shots, they re-hit. Generally on Par 3’s. All subject to pace of play considerations. Nobody has an official handicap. No is playing for money other than low putts in round & closest to pin on shortest par 3’s on each side. They are not in a league & only use among themselves.

      Reply

      Jerome A. Koncel

      9 months ago

      Golf is meant to be a fun game, not life or death. The guys I play with are all seniors over the age of 75, so we play the common sense rules of golf. I would add one rule: we give putts that two feet and under. The game seems alot simpler and more fun using those rules, and personally I find the rules of golf to be stupid and extremely penal in many cases, e.g., hitting a ball out of bounds, not signing a correct scorecard (DQ), and dropping from knee height ( just simply drop the ball).

      Reply

      KevinS

      9 months ago

      I wouldnt call playing by the rules taking fun out of the game or making it “life or death”. Using the actual rules is most fair and honest thing to do to keep field honest if playing for money/prizes. All games are supposed to fun- do the people relaxing the rules at golf also relax them at cards, boardgames, pick-up softball/bball?

      Reply

      Joseph Parent

      9 months ago

      We pretty much play by the same rules that you stated, however we have named them after the players in our group! We play mostly in the Ocean City, Maryland area so most of our courses are stay and play courses, so there’s a good chance you’ll be fighting a crowd everyday not just on weekends, so pace of play is always an issue. We have 2 groups a Monday group and a Thursday group. We always have between 24 & 36 golfers each day varying probably from 4 -20 handicaps, so again pace of play is really important to our groups. We play for fun and beer mostly, have closest to the pin holes and the winners always buy the beers and we have end of the season tournaments and participate in a few local tournaments. To us it’s all about the camaraderie, the fun and the 19th hole!!

      Reply

      cksurfdude

      9 months ago

      Average *recreational* player here – anyone not playing a “stipulated” round in competition OR FOR THEIR HANDICAP can do WTF they like .. again as long as they’re not recording the score. Funny thing is, I don’t currently have or maintain a handicap. Just imo. But I do very much appreciate all the peace of play considerations!

      Reply

      birdieman

      9 months ago

      guys that insist playing by the rule book, are the first ones to bend it.. the rules are what your partners/group agree to. there’s a time and place to play by the official usga rules, but it’s not on the weekend with your buds.

      Reply

      KevinS

      9 months ago

      “guys that insist playing by the rule book, are the first ones to bend it” WTF? Says the guy who is in favor of NOT using the rule book. I have found the opposite at my club. Do what you want if you are a rec golfer with no Handicap Index. But, if you have one and want to play in real tournaments, you must play by the rules. Otherwise you are cheating the field.

      Reply

      Nosslin

      9 months ago

      Invoking the leaf rule at Butterbrook is akin to employing a lifeboat on a duck pond—utterly superfluous. Now Groton CC is a veritable Bermuda Triangle for golf balls, where your every drive seems to vanish without a trace.

      Reply

      MarkM

      9 months ago

      This goes against everything I’ve done in the game of golf since I started playing in high school – yes that was in the blades and persimmon era. Call me a dinosaur, but for me the whole point of the game of golf is to use your mind and skill to overcome everything the course and your own weaknesses throw at you.

      I think Jimmy Dugan said it best: ’If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great’

      Reply

      MarkM

      9 months ago

      btw – I don’t have anything against others who follow whatever path is best for them. This is just what I believe is best for me.

      Reply

      Bill Manley

      9 months ago

      Double Par Rule: the max score on any hole is double par

      Reply

      Andy

      9 months ago

      Absolutely! We call that a DoDo [as in the extinct bird)

      Reply

      Steve

      9 months ago

      If the greens are terrible and generally unplayable (leaves, maintenance, standing water, etc), we might do an automatic two putt.

      This is always negotiable if someone sticks it near the pin. Generally, it’s a 10 second conversation.

      Reply

      Android Golfer

      9 months ago

      We did that once in my league after a torrential rain left standing water on the greens. No worse than a 3 putt as some greens were puttable depending on the line, but others it was like crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

      Reply

      PHDrunkards

      9 months ago

      I’d rather not play golf if that’s how it is. Might as well just go do a good hike in the hills and mountains and enjoy the views.
      The game is a challenge and fun BECAUSE of the rules, it puts you under pressure to hit it well to keep the ball in play and into the fairway hopefully. Doing all these forgiveness things defeats the purpose of playing the hard game, you might as well get off the course and go do some other game, like tennis or that new stupid wooden paddle board game, where you can argue about the shot on the line, or have the dude actually hit the ball PAST you cos then you can’t argue about the fact who’s better, the dude actually hit it past you, and you’d be in closer quarters so you can “discuss” everything in a more social setting than be on opposite sides of the fairways lol

      But seriously, why waste the money to pay the green fees and then NOT play the game the way the rules were written, disrespecting everything about the game itself that is wrapped up in nothing but the rules based on how it’s supposed to be played as it lies? There is a specific “provisional” rule so you hit another one when you’re not sure if it disappeared over the boundary line, which actually helps you save time. You might as save that green fee money and go do a hike and then use the money for a nice meal.

      And kicking it out the divot to a nice lie, creating another divot and then not fixing it like all the other fluffers, that’s what gets us all on our tits. Seriously, you might as well not play. You’re just there to cause more damage.

      You want to call unplayable? There’s a rule for that, it’s one penalty stroke, have a nice drop.

      If it’s that important to you to compete and beat each other so nicely why not just step into the ring and punch each other out or do some wrestling or judo

      🤣

      Reply

      R.Hadley

      9 months ago

      Wow, someone got up on the wrong side of the crypt this morning.

      Reply

      Jimbo

      9 months ago

      Lighten up FRANCIS!

      Reply

      Hopp Man

      9 months ago

      Beat me to it, always has to be one of these kind of responses.

      aburtonky

      9 months ago

      Tell me you’re the dad who nobody wants to play board games with, without telling me.

      Reply

      Remorce

      9 months ago

      I think you may have hit the nail on the head given his response lol

      Bob

      9 months ago

      Well bully for you

      Reply

      Dr Tee

      9 months ago

      I will be happy to shove the broom you appear to have stuck in your rectum another 12 inches further-you have earned it!

      Reply

      RulesDad

      9 months ago

      The thing is… They make up rules and amend them all the time. Dropping behind you over the shoulder? They never did that on the Scottish links when courses were 12 holes long. 18 holes for US Open started in the 50s. Comps were 2 days with 36 holes a day at one point. Playing in comps I get it – play by the rules. But if not, then you have to decide on which era and set of “traditional” rules you want to play the game by, and whose idea of how it should be played. Games are supposed to be fun, aye?

      Reply

      Paul Barker

      9 months ago

      I’m betting you have used one or more of these rules over your illustrious career. Also thinking you play as a single quite a bit.

      Reply

      Lil dik trumps

      2 months ago

      You sound like a lot of fun, NOT. 🤡

      Reply

      Rich

      9 months ago

      Definitely agree with most of these, and even the USGA follows your OB stake logic with their local rule E-5:

      https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization/major-changes/golfs-new-rules-stroke-and-distance.html

      Reply

      Nach

      9 months ago

      There is nothing wrong with the friendly game. But if you don’t play by the rules you cannot post a score for handicap purposes. And please don’t brag about breaking 80 when your real score by the rules was over 90.

      Reply

      vito

      9 months ago

      Actually posting as score with these rules would lower your handicap. Which when you play by the real rules would hurt you. So I don’t see a problem with it. It’s the opposite of sandbagging.

      Dan Zimmerman

      9 months ago

      That’s fair. I don’t have a handicap and never even tried to establish one in about 65 years playing golf. When I played on my high school team and in local match play tournaments, all rules followed. Playing in Best Ball and Scramble tournaments, play by the rules set for those events. In my twice weekly “Old Duffers” scramble league on an executive-length Florida golf course with gnarly rough and bare dirt and spotty greens, our rules include one mulligan per round, play from within 2 club lengths of where the chosen ball lies as long as you don’t improve from rough to fairway or trap to out of the trap… Fun and fair and the winning team members and closest-to-the-pin holes get a gently used golf ball. Lighten up and play for fun with like-minded individuals or be a strict rules follower. Your choice; you be you. At 76, I’m content in my choices, which include playing the most forward tees and never. ever. ever. playing out of a divot or hitting a mud ball.

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