Some bentgrass greens are seeded with a blend of different varieties, which can lead to differences in appearance across the playing surface that are often most noticeable during seasonal shifts as ...

Many women aged 50 and over find that for the first time they have the requisite time for competitive golf. Additionally, some of the nation’s best amateurs have advanced into this age group and still ...

Learn more about the 2023 updates to the Rules of Golf below. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to the Rules Department any time at rules@usga.org or 908-326-1850.

There is no longer a penalty for merely touching the line of play on the putting green (the term “line of play” applies everywhere on the course including the putting green, and the term “line of putt ...

The resources below have been created to educate golfers on the 2024 updates to the World Handicap System, which went into effect in the United States on January 16th, 2024.

Four-Ball, commonly referred to as “better ball,” is a format in which two golfers compete together as a side, with each player playing their own ball. A side’s score for a hole is the lower score of ...

This content was first published in Golf Journal, a quarterly print publication exclusively for USGA Members. To be among the first to receive Golf Journal and to learn how you can help make golf more ...

There is no longer a penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits a flagstick left in the hole. Players are not required to putt with the flagstick in the hole; rather, they continue to have ...

The following are the main changes to the Rules of Golf that took effect on January 1, 2019. The items covered on this page are organized into nine categories. Within each individual item, you will ...

A player is allowed to keep using and/or to repair any club damaged during the round, no matter what the damage and even if the player damaged it in anger. A player is not allowed to replace a damaged ...

The shape, slope and condition of many putting greens today increase the chances that a ball at rest on the putting green might move, and it can be difficult to determine whether a player caused the ...

Below are common questions related to the reinstatement of a golfer’s amateur status. The Rules in their entirety, including Guidance Notes, can be found at www ...