The 7 Weirdest Golf Rules

Few sports have a deeper rule book than golf does.

The official rulebook for golf, published by the USGA and R&A, contains well over 500 pages. There are, of course, shorter versions of that rulebook—but going through the full monty is like reading War and Peace.

Most rules in golf are fairly self-explanatory, meaning that most of us only need to know a few of the more common rules to get by without issue. Some of those common rules should be changed, in my opinion, but that is another conversation entirely.

However, the golf rulebook does delve into some strange scenarios. You might be surprised to learn some of these weird rules that are in the official book.

So unless you are playing by common sense golf rules that don’t follow the official Rules of Golf exactly, you might want to take a few notes here.

In no particular order, here are seven of the strangest rules in golf.

1. The cactus rule

Do you play a lot of desert golf?

You might want to know the cactus rule.

Let’s say you hit your ball into the desert and it ends up right next to a cactus. You reach for your 7-iron, thinking you are going to punch your ball back into the fairway. The only problem is that your swing will lead your arm directly into the cactus, not a fun experience.

Rule 1.2 stipulates that you are allowed to “wrap an arm or leg in a towel to protect yourself from the needles when you play your shot.”

However, you are not allowed to wrap a towel around the cactus itself.

2. How to handle snakes varies

Rule 1.4 grants that you get relief from a living snake if it is near your ball. This falls under the category of a dangerous situation that is unnecessary for a golfer to put themselves through.

If the snake is next to the ball and is not alive, golfers have the option of moving the snake—but you can’t move your ball in the process.

3. You can hit a moving ball in the water

Rule 14.6 gives players the option of hitting a ball out of a water hazard.

While any shot played outside of the water can’t be struck while the ball is moving, the water is an exception.

If your ball trickles into a lake and the waves are oscillating that ball back and forth, you are free to hit it while the ball is still moving.

What if waves move it closer to the hole? While this is unlikely, technically you are allowed to wait a moment for the ball to get more settled. However, you can’t delay unnecessarily to gain an advantage.

4. Burrowing animals warrant a free drop but other animal damage usually does not

If you hit your ball into the woods and notice that your lie has been impacted by a burrowing animal, Rule 16.1 states that you are entitled to a free drop.

A gopher hole would qualify. Take that your drop and play on without penalty.

However, “damage” caused by other animals does not allow you a free drop.

If a bear, deer or dog wanders around the woods and leaves tracks/holes, you can’t take relief.

Interpreting this difference can occasionally be tough although the rule is so rarely implemented that it’s hard to say it matters.

5. You are allowed to play shots from inside a clubhouse or other man-made structure unless it’s specifically marked as OB

The Rules of Golf generally allow a player to play their ball from any location, provided it’s not interfering with their stance or swing—and provided that location is not marked as out of bounds.

What this means is that a golf shot can technically be hit from a clubhouse, halfway house or other permanent structures. There isn’t a rule that specifically prohibits playing a shot from a clubhouse.

As long as the swing and stance are unobstructed and the shot is being played from in bounds, you can hit the ball.

Many courses mark permanent structures as OB but it’s not impossible to end up in a spot where a swing can be taken.

“Hey, I think I have a window to the hole! Like a literal window. Do you mind opening it?”

6. You can’t artificially warm up your golf ball during a round

One interesting trick when playing golf in cold weather is to always keep your golf ball in a warm place—like in your pocket against your body.

That keeps the golf ball warm, relatively speaking. And warm golf balls go farther than cold golf balls.

However, Rule 14.3 states that you are not allowed to artificially warm up your golf ball in a round.

So that means no electric hand warmers, George Foreman grills or iron skillets. Sorry.

7. You can’t listen to music with headphones as you play

Under Rule 14.3, listening to music or other audio during a round of golf is generally considered an artificial device that could offer an unfair advantage.

The rule is in effect because some players might slap on a pair of headphones to help with swing tempo or block out distractions.

You will see Tour players with headphones on during practice sessions but they have to take those off prior to play.

You might be wondering about golfers who play music out of a speaker—or any LIV golf event where music is blaring at all times.

This is totally fine, according to the USGA. However, “you may not (listen to music) if the purpose is to eliminate distractions or help you with your swing.”

So those are seven of the weirdest rules in golf. Any others to add?

Let me know below in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Matt Jones hits a golf shot during a LIV event. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf)