Rules of Golf
RULES OF GOLF
Effective January 2023
As the governing body of golf in Canada, Golf Canada holds the exclusive right to govern, publish and distribute the Rules of Golf in Canada.
The Rules are typically updated every four years through the work of the R&A and the United States Golf Association. A joint committee of these associations, on which the Chair of Golf Canada’s Rules and Amateur Status Committee sits, is charged with revising, modernizing and improving the Rules of Golf. These two documents form the complete Rules of Golf that are used universally throughout the world of golf.
For clubs or committees in charge of competitions, the Conditions of Competition and Standard Local Rules that Golf Canada implements at all championships is posted for your reference. In addition, a list of local rules that should be considered is available on this website.
RULES OF GOLF PUBLICATIONS
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The Official Guide to the Rules of GolfThis “guidebook” contains information to best support committees and officials. It includes the Rules of Golf, its clarifications and Committee procedures (available local rules and information on establishing the terms of the competition. It is a “long-form” resource document intended as a supplementary publication and for golf administrators, Referees, officials, and Rules enthusiasts.
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Full Rules of GolfThe full edition of the Rules will be written in the third person and will include illustrations. The Rules of Golf is intended to be the primary publication for officials and is expected Golf Club Committees and Referees will use the publication as their primary Rules of Golf resource.
Click here to buy the Rules of Golf
Golf Canada is the authorized distributor for the Rules of Golf publications in Canada.
- Videos
- 2023 Rules of Golf
- Outcome changes for 2023 Rules of Golf
- Poster – 5 Key Changes for 2023
- 2024 Golf Canada Local Rules and Terms of the Competition
- Additional Clarifications of the 2023 Rules of Golf – December 16, 2022
- Additional Clarifications of the 2023 Rules of Golf – April 3, 2023
- Additional Clarifications of the 2023 Rules of Golf – July 3, 2023
- Additional Clarifications of the 2023 Rules of Golf – October 5, 2023
- Additional Clarifications of the 2023 Rules of Golf – January 4, 2024
- Rule 25 Request Form
- Rule 25 Guidance to Local Committees
- Policy for Eligibility Requirements of Players with Disabilities Under Rule 25
- All Abilities Assessment Process
- Rules of Golf App – iOS
- Rules of Golf App – Android
- Search and browse the Rules of Golf on the R&A Rules Explorer
- Visual Search on the R&A Website and App
- Quiz on the R&A Website and App
- R&A Rules Modernization website
- USGA Rules Modernization website
- Green Reading Material Resources
The Committee Toolkit has been designed to help those responsible for preparing the golf course for general play and for those running and administering competitions at all levels. The “Toolkit” aims to help Committees familiarize the Committee Procedures section of the Official Guide, and to better understand the changes that they need to make to reflect the new Rules. The toolkit also includes a ‘Local Rules Creator’. The purpose of this is to helps Clubs and Committees with the process of updating Local Rules.. Of course, the amount of space available on scorecards is limited and with that in mind, short form Local Rules are also available.
The List of conforming drivers and conforming golf balls are universal lists used by all golf associations.
1. List of conforming driver heads
2. List of conforming golf balls
NEW – R&A Equipment Rule