How Do Fouls And Penalties Work In Golf?

For a player, it is arguably one of the most frustrating sports, especially as a professional. Golf is a game that can change in a split second for a player.

A sudden gust of wind after making a shot that takes the ball off-course can have a dramatic impact. It is then up to the player to make sure that they are able to recover. A lot of it is psychological.

Such mistakes in golf can result in considerable penalties – often it is normal for a player that has been performing well during a round to concede consistent penalties – whether this is for one hole or consecutive ones. This can severely impact their standing in a round and see them slip four or five positions on the leaderboard.

Indeed, many big players have been cruising during a golf tournament, before one mistake has led them to compound their initial error and throw away their chance of potentially winning.

Compared to other sports, penalties (fouls) in golf, for some people can be considerably harder to understand, unlike football for example.

Simple Rules Of Golf

To get an understanding of how fouls work in golf, it is best to have a brief grasp of the rules. Essentially, every hole on a golf course is rated by difficulty level. This means that it is given a rating, usually from three to five, with each hole being named ‘Par’, followed by the number. Meanwhile, it is very rare to find a par six or par seven.

This means that a ‘Par 5’ hole gives players the chance to get the ball in the hole in five strokes or under. If it takes five strokes, then it means the player has scored ‘par’ – they are not under or over, but are essentially considered ‘scratch’ for the course.

One under par is given the name ‘Birdie’, two under par is an ‘Eagle’ and three under par is called an ‘Albatross’. The unlikeliest scores in golf – particularly for a par five or over – is a hole in one, four under par (Condor), or five under par (Ostrich). Usually, a par five is too long in distance to make the shot in one, or even two strokes.

If a player shoots over par, by one, this is known as ‘Bogey’ (one over par), while two over par is simply a ‘Double Bogey’, three over par a ‘Triple Bogey’ and so on.

In a tournament that usually consists of four rounds of 18 holes, it is common for players to finish in double figures under par if they have played very well. It would obviously mean that they have scored numerous Birdies at least, if not the odd Eagle or a hole in one on a par three.

Where Do Fouls Come Into It?

Technically speaking, a player shooting over par could be deemed as some kind of penalty – because they haven’t made the regulation standard stroke classification for that particular hole.

However, this obviously is not a deliberate action – players are not superhuman and cannot be expected to shoot every hole under par. Though, there are actions that players make that do result in penalties.

Water hazards are perhaps the most common (which again, cannot always be helped). If a player shoots into a lake, stream, or even the sea (on Links courses), it results in a one stroke penalty. As a result, one shot is added onto their total score for that particular hole.

Meanwhile, if a ball lands in a bunker that is filled with rain and the shot is clearly unplayable, then the player must concede a shot and play a new ball from outside of the bunker. However, very few professional tournaments proceed with these kinds of conditions – it is very rare to see flooded bunkers at elite level competitions – especially those that are televised.

Then, penalties get more severe, however, it is very rare for these to happen, especially at professional level. A player’s caddy is often responsible for making sure that these don’t happen, because they can be prevented.

For example, putting another player’s ball on the green results in a two stroke penalty, as does hitting the flag if it is either on the green or in the hole when attempting to make a putt.

If a ball goes out of bounds, or essentially gets lost (in dense woodland or shrubbery), then a one-stroke penalty is conceded and the player must take a drop shot from just in play.

When a player tees off and they believe that their shot has gone OB (Out of Bounds), they can make the decision to accept a one shot penalty and take another shot. However, if the original shot does turn out to be in bounds, they have to play this as it lies (regardless of whether their second tee-off landed in a better position) and this becomes their third shot.

Putting Regulations

In golf, there are breaches of regulations on the putting green that can result in penalties, however, this is more to do with etiquette than anything else.

For example, a player is not allowed to remove any obstacles that interfere with the line of the possible putt in question. Despite this, there are exceptions, which includes the removal of obstacles that do not require the turf to be pressed down, fixing a ball mark, measuring a shot, replacing a ball or placing a marker, or, indeed, positioning the putter in front of the ball when weighing up the shot.

Meanwhile, if a ball is moved by accident when repairs to the green are occurring, the player is required to place a marker there so its position can be identified.

Exceptions To The Rules

In the sport, there are circumstances that can be classed as mitigated for players, especially when it comes to possible penalties.

These are known as ‘reliefs’. For example, a player can be granted a relief for a number of things. If they play a shot into an area of the course that has been altered temporarily such as due to a repair or a mound caused by a burrowing animal, then the player can drop a shot on the nearest possible ‘normal’ ground, without conceding a penalty.

The same applies if a player lands a shot on a particularly wet part of the fairway, where the ball becomes embedded and as a result, is deemed unplayable. When this occurs, the player is allowed to lift the ball, clean it and drop it in a location that is playable (adjacent or behind, but not nearer to the hole), pursuant to Rule 25-2.

Are Penalties Common In Golf?

Generally speaking, it is unrealistic to expect zero penalties, even in a professional tournament. This is because, most of them that occur are often the result of variables outside of a player’s control, such as the weather (wind blowing the ball into a water hazard or out of bounds), for example.

Certainly, major penalties are very few and far between – such as a player conceding a two-stroke foul for hitting the pin from their position on the green.

So, next time you are watching golf – look out for some of these and see if you notice how players approach a penalty and how they recover from it!