Basic Rules

Before Hitting The Ball

Men should begin play further from the cup than ladies and juniors. On some courses, men's starting locations are represented by white tee blocks whereas women and children begin at the red tee blocks.

The ball must be placed on a tee for every shot except where noted.

On fairway shots the ball can be moved up to two club's lengths in any direction, to avoid cluttered terrain or large obstacles.

At any time the club may be used as a rake to groom the area around the tee or putting cap to allow for a smoother shot.

A player may designate that they are putting the ball at any time. When putting, the tee is optional.

After Hitting The Ball

If a ball lands in a terrain feature such as woods and disappears from view, the player who hit the ball should be granted a maximum of three minutes to find their ball during play. If the ball is not found, it is then considered lost (see below).

If a ball lands in shallow water it must be played from its location though it need not be placed on a tee. Otherwise it is considered lost.

If a ball lands outside of the bounds of the course it is automatically considered lost.

A lost ball must be replaced at a one stroke penalty. The replacement ball may be played from anywhere along the flight path of the lost ball.

If the ball of an opponent interferes with the line of the player's ball anywhere on the course, the player can request that the opponent mark their ball.

Optional Rules

Individual courses set aside for the purpose of traditional or Cygnet Better Golf may designate a dress code.

During tournament play it is recommended that every competitor uses the same type of ball.