Explaining the Rule on when giving and taking advice is allowed

GOLF, MUCH OF THE TIME, is an individual sport. The challenge of our game is for the player to decide how to best strategize and develop tactics for playing their round on their own. However, the Rules of Golf do allow for players to receive advice and other help during their round. Let’s explore when this is permitted.

Rule 10.2

Rule 10.2a allows the player to receive advice during their round with limitations.

What is advice under the Rules? It is any verbal comment or action (such as showing what club was just used to make a stroke) that is intended to influence a player in choosing a club, making a stroke, or deciding how to play during a hole or a round.

A player is allowed to receive advice in either stroke play or match play from the following people:

▪ Caddie (or a partner’s caddie in a four-ball event)
▪ Partner (in a four-ball event)
▪ Designated advice giver in a Team Competition as permitted by Rule 24.4

HERE IS A QUICK Q&A REGARDING ADVICE:

Q: What is the penalty if I, the player, give/receive advice when not allowed under the Rules?
A: The player incurs the general penalty of 2 strokes in stroke play or loss of hole in match play. If advice is breached multiple times in stroke play, there is no limit as to how many times that player can be penalized — they will receive the penalty for each occurrence, unlike some other rules.

Q: Is information on wind direction or locations of objects such as bunkers or the hole considered to be advice?
A: No. Public information readily available to all players is not considered to be advice and can be given and received if it is general in nature.

Q: If two players are sharing a caddie, can a player still ask for advice from the caddie?
A: Yes. A player is entitled to get information from a shared caddie (Clarification 10.2a/1).

Q: Is a player penalized if someone other than their caddie gives advice without asking for it (such as a spectator)?
A: No, there is no penalty, but if that person continues to offer advice without asking for it, you should try and stop the person from offering the advice. If the player continues to get advice from that same person, the player must try to stop that person. If they don’t, the player would be penalized under Rule 10.2a (Clarification 10.2a/2).

Q: My caddie goes out before my round has started and gives advice to other players on the course. Do I incur a penalty?
A: No. You are only responsible for the actions of your caddie during your round, not before or after the round.

Now that you know the basics, go out and use this Rule of Golf to your advantage. Just don’t let that discussion slow down your pace of play!