Talk about naysayers and they will come up with ‘Golf is just a game’, but deep in our hearts, we know it is certainly so much more than that. Whether they are interesting or just downright weird, Golf is dotted with some wacky rules that rule the roost.  We bring you the top 4 of them!

 

 

ALWAYS FOLLOW YELLING FORE

 

 

 

If you’ve ever heard the word ‘FORE’ on the golf course, it can bring you down.  Errant shots are a part of the golf game, but amateur players are certainly more prone to do this often. Whenever you hit an erratic shot that you see is heading anywhere near another group of golfers, it's imperative to yell "fore!" This universal golf gesture gives the other golfers a heads-up that a golf ball is heading their way and it could hurt them. This is one domain that leads to many on-course brawls between golfers but is easily avoidable if you just yell "fore" and start the unobvious walk to your ball.

THE WEIRD CACTUS RULE

 

 

 

 

You cannot beat this one.  A cactus isn’t a dangerous animal, so you can’t take a free drop and reference rule 16.2 (#1 above). In reality, your options are limited. You also cannot place a towel over the cactus or thorny bush to provide padding. You can play the ball as it lies, but you may end up bleeding.

 

The safer option might be to take an “unplayable lie” (Rule 19). You can take relief, but it will cost you a 1 stroke penalty.

 

 

HIDE AND SEEK: SEARCHING FOR THE BALL

 

This is an interesting situation that could get you penalized during a tournament. Your ball ends up in a bunker and it buries in the sand. How can you legally go about finding your ball? The rules of golf state that you can use your hand to brush sand aside to identify your golf ball.

 

Here is where it gets a little tricky. You have to re-bury your ball under the sand before you make a swing. You are allowed to leave a small amount of the ball visible. If you play your shot without recreating the lie, you receive a penalty

 

 

DEW-WIPING IS A TWO-STRIKE OFFENCE

 

 

 

 

 

According to Rule 13-2, dew-wiping is a two-stroke offence. So if you're a morning person who prefers to wake up early in order to hit the course, you're considered as a dew-sweeper whose ball is likely covered with morning dew. And, if you possess the habit of wiping dew off with your hands and/or towels, you've basically broken Rule 13-2.

 

Dew, frost and/or water can be removed on the tee box before hitting the ball.

 

Can you think of some more weirder golf rules that exist?