Golf usually speaks in absolutes. Players, commentators, and officials talk as if the rules are universally understood. But in reality, the golf community is often submerged in confusion. 

Most Players Don’t Really Understand the Rules

Back in June 2025, GOLF released a survey where 61% of golfers admitted that they “mostly” play by the rules of golf, and 38% of players claimed that they “always” play by the rules.

Most amateur golfers rely on habit, hearsay, and partners for rules. And that leads to incorrect drops and unintentional penalties. 

Rule changes have also widened this gap. Updates intended to simplify procedures often create new misunderstandings, because golfers never truly unlearn the old interpretations. And the R&A’s rules modernization materials show that such changes require players to actively relearn habits formed under previous rulesets. 

Even Common Rules are Misunderstood

Some of the basic rules also trip players. Golf Monthly brought up seven common rules that golfers find confusing. And one of them is Rule 9.4b, which states that moving the ball, even by accident, is a penalty.

Golf also uses terms like ‘known or virtually certain’ (at least 95% certainty). And this forces players to make subjective judgment calls, creating further confusion. 

The rule on the nearest point of complete relief confuses golfers because ‘nearest’ means the closest spot free from interference.

This certainly does not mean the nicest lie. And many mistakenly treat the two as the same. Many don’t even know that they can practice in between holes if it doesn’t delay the play. 

Pitchmarks may only be repaired on the putting green, not from the fringe, unless created after the ball came to rest. Relief from a wrong green is mandatory.

And even an overhit putt can be replayed under stroke-and-distance. These are some of the rules that still confuse golfers. 

Top Golfers Get Rules Wrong Too

Yes, even the best golfers like Phil Mickelson have admitted to misunderstanding the rules of golf. During round two of the 2023 PGA Championship, Mickelson was caught utterly confused.

After driving into a marshy penalty area on par-4 6th hole, the golfer planned to go two club lengths on red, believing it was the correct drop.

But an official intervened, surprising even Rickie Fowler. Till 31 December 2022, the players got a full semicircle on every drop. But not anymore.  

“You mark your spot, and then you get a full club length,” Mickelson repeated, still in disbelief. But he did thank the officials for preventing an unintentional penalty. 

“It’s okay, you just dropped improperly,” a second official said through radio. “You can go ahead and move it back. You can operate back on the line and drop wherever you want to. But it’s going to be along that line.”

The Rules are Complex, and That’s Part of the Problem

Golf’s rulebook balances fairness and edgy situations. Although it protects the game’s integrity, it risks accessibility. The R&A’s modernization archive highlights how extensive definitions and layered decision trees remain part of everyday rule interpretation. 

Modernization has shortened search time to three minutes, allowed flagsticks to remain in while putting, and simplified dropping procedures. These changes are aimed at speeding up the gameplay.

However, there are exceptions, requiring the players to judge intent, interference, and relief areas. That preserves the complexity beneath the surface simplicity. 

Golf’s rules are not broken, but the assumption of universal understanding is. Until clarity replaces expectation, confusion will remain embedded in how the game is played.

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu