The USGA promotes and conserves the true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions. It acts in the best interests of the game for the continued enjoyment of those ...

Purpose of Rule: Rule 14 covers when and how you may mark the spot of your ball at rest and lift and clean your ball and how to put it back into play so that your ball is played from the right place.

Play the course as you find it and play your ball as it lies. Play by the Rules and in the spirit of the game. You are responsible for applying your own penalties if you breach a Rule, so that you ...

Our values are central to our mission and culture. They define how we carry ourselves with one another; with partner allied associations; with golf facilities, including championship host sites and ...

If an 18-hole round is being played over the same 9 holes from the same tees and there is no 18-hole Course Rating, the 18-hole Course Handicap is calculated as follows: Rounding to the nearest whole ...

Net double bogey, and Net par. It is important that an accurate par be established for each hole on a golf course for both men and women, and these values should be printed alongside each hole on the ...

Purpose of Rule: This Rule allows you to do things on the putting green that are normally not allowed off the putting green, such as being allowed to mark, lift, clean and replace your ball and to ...

Purpose of Rule: Rule 16 covers when and how you may take free relief by playing a ball from a different place, such as when you have interference by an abnormal course condition or a dangerous animal ...

You must fairly strike at the ball with the head of the club such that there is only momentary contact between the club and the ball and you must not push, scrape or scoop the ball. If your club ...

Thomas I. Barkin, of Atlanta, Ga., is in his sixth year as a member of the USGA Executive Committee. Barkin is the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He ...

Purpose of Rule: Rule 17 is a specific Rule for penalty areas, which are bodies of water or other areas defined by the Committee where a ball is often lost or unable to be played. For one penalty ...

Purpose of Rule: Rule 7 allows you to take reasonable actions to fairly search for your ball in play after each stroke. But you must be careful, as a penalty will apply if you act excessively and ...