The game of golf is played in an open area by striking the ball with a club and the aim is to put the ball in the hole in minimum number of strokes. Each hole starts from the teeing area and ends when the ball is holed on the putting green. The game is won by the player if he/she is up more holes than there are holes left to play in the match.

The field of play is called as course and all players in a match finish the same course before moving to the next course. There are normally five areas in the course which are defined as follows,

1. General area – It covers the entire course area except the teeing area, penalty area, bunkers & the putting green. It includes every type of ground and growing/attached objects found in that area.
2. Teeing area – It is a rectangle which is two club-lengths deep and is an area from where the player must play in starting the hole.  
3. Penalty area – An area marked by yellow and red markings which generally includes ponds, lakes, water streams, deserts, lava rock fields, jungles etc.
4. Bunkers – These are specially prepared shallow pits filled with sand and generally incorporating a raised barrier, from which the ball is difficult to play than from grass. Bunkers are commonly found serving as guardians of putting greens, but also often show up in fairways or alongside fairways.
5. Putting green – It is grass area on the course where the flagstick & hole are located and the ball is hit along the ground into the hole.

Ball: The golf balls are specifically designed balls to play the game of golf which are subject to tests and approvals from various regulatory authorities. The standard ball specifications are as follows: 

• Weight & Size: The golf ball weighs no more than 45.93 grams with diameter not less than 42.67 mm. 
• Pieces: Golf balls used for play are usually 1-,2- or 3- piece ball depending upon the level of the player i.e. beginner, regular or professional respectively.
• Dimples: The more dimples a ball has, the higher it goes and the number of dimples ranges from 300-500 per ball.
• Cover:  The material used for ball covers is usually made of Balata, Surlyn, Zylin or Elastomer. The main aspect of getting a optimal cover material is to hit as many shots while not getting a cut on it.  

Clubs: The golf clubs are used to strike the golf ball and it has three components namely, the head, the shaft and the grip. A player is allowed to carry 14 clubs while playing and this generally comprises of 3 woods (the 1-driver, 3, and 5), at least 1 hybrid (3H), 7 irons (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and Pitching Wedge (PW)) and 1 putter, 1 wedge and 1 additional hybrid. The club specifications are as follows: 

• Woods: It is used to hit long shots (distance of175 yards or more from the green) and it is a hollow-bodied large headed golf club. The driver has the lowest loft (angle of the club face that controls trajectory and affects distance) among any of the clubs and the general rule is to use higher loft drivers. 
• Hybrids: These are a combination of a fairway wood head design and an iron length shaft. Most irons are being replaced with hybrids these days due to distance and forgiveness they offer while keeping loft equal.    
• Irons: These are clubs with a solid, all metal head featuring a flat angled face, and a shorter shaft and more upright lie angle for ease of access. These are generally used when the distance between the green is less than 200 yards.  
• Wedges: These are subclass of irons having greater loft (compared to irons) with high mass heads and wide soles. These are generally used for short distance, high altitude & high accuracy utility shots. 
• Putters: These are clubs with a loft of not more than 10 degrees and are designed to roll the ball along the grass from a point on the putting green towards the hole. Putters have special features like, two striking faces, non-circular grip cross sections and bent shafts.

The game of golf is generally played in groups of three or four players depending upon the total number of players participating in the tournament. There is no substitution allowed in the game.

• Put identification mark on the ball and if the player is not able to identify his/her ball during the play then it is considered as lost.
• It is allowed to change the balls between the play of holes and not during the play of a hole.
• It is allowed to carry a maximum of 14 clubs.

• In a match play, each hole is considered as a separate contest and each counts a one.
• A hole is won by the player by completing the hole in fewer strokes then his/her opponents.
• If a player wins the first hole, he/she is “one up”
• If a player loses the first hole, he/she is “one down”
• If a player ties the first hole, he/she is “all square”
• The match is won by the player if he/she is up more holes than the holes that are left to play in the match.

• In a stroke play, the player with the lowest number of strokes for the round is considered as the winner.
• Under certain circumstances, it is allowed to drop a second ball and play it in addition to the original ball. It must be intimated to the opponents which ball the player would like to be counted and it must be reported to the committee before returning the score card.

• On the tee, the player with the lowest score on the last hole plays first. 
• Everywhere else, the player whose ball is farthest from the hole plays first.
• In case a player plays out of his/her turn in stroke play then there is no penalty.
• In case a player plays out of turn during match then the opponent may immediately cancel the stroke and ask the player to play in proper order.

• The ball needs to be played as it lies, unless the rules permit otherwise.
• It is not allowed to improve the lie by moving, bending or breaking anything fixed or growing.
• It is not allowed to press anything down behind the ball.
• It is not allowed to touch the ground in a hazard or water in a water hazard with hand or club.

• Player must tee the ball between the markers and within two club-lengths behind the front line of the tee markers.
• If the ball accidently falls off the tee then the player can tee again without any penalty.
• If the player misses the ball and it falls off the tee then the stroke is counted and the player must play the ball as it lies.
• In case the player is teeing off outside the defined area then the opponent can ask the player to replay the stroke from within the defined area.

• The ball is considered to be on putting green when any part of it touches the green area.
• It is allowed to mark (using small coin or ball-marker), lift and clean the ball when it is on the putting green. 
• It is allowed to repair ball marks anywhere on the putting green except the ball marks made by spikes or shoes.
• It is not allowed to test the putting surface by scraping it or rolling a ball over it.
• In case the ball strikes the flagstick when it is played from the putting green then the player loses a hole (in match play) or incurs a two stroke penalty (in stroke play).
• Player must stand on one side of the line of putt and must not play a stroke when another ball is in motion.

• The ball must be struck fairly with the head of the club and it should not be pushed, spooned or scraped.
• It is not allowed to accept any physical assistance while striking the ball.
• It is not allowed to play a moving ball except when it is being moved by water
• It is not allowed to use any artificial device to assist the stroke or play.

• While lifting the ball which needs to be replaced, the place of lifting should be marked by placing a small coin or ball marker behind the ball.
• For dropping the ball, the player must stand erect while holding his/her arm out at shoulder’s height to drop the ball.
• A dropped ball must be re-dropped if,
  • it rolls more than two club-lengths from where it first strikes the ground surface
  • it rolls onto a putting green area
  • it rolls into or out of a hazard
  • it rolls out of bounds
  • it rolls back into the condition from where relief was taken
  • it rolls closer to the hole than its original position, the nearest point of relief, or the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard

• If the resting ball is moved by the player or his/her caddie then one penalty stroke is added and the ball is replaced. The same applies if the ball has been moved after the player has addressed it.
• If the resting ball is moved by someone else or another ball then the ball is replaced without adding a penalty.
• While moving the ball there is no penalty under following circumstances, 
  • marking & lifting the ball 
  • removing a loose impediment when the ball is on the putting green
  • removing a movable obstruction
  • repairing a ball mark
  • placing or replacing the ball

• If the ball hits the player, his/her partner or caddie or the player’s equipment then one stroke penalty is added and the ball is played as it lies.
• If the ball hits the opponent or his/her equipment (in match play) then there is not penalty and the ball may be played as it lies or the stroke may be cancelled and replayed.
• If the ball hits another ball then the other ball must be replaced and the player’s ball is played as it lies. In stroke play, if both the balls are on the putting green when the player plays the ball then two penalty strokes are added.

• It is allowed to move a loose impediment unless it and the ball are in a hazard.
• In case the player touches a loose impediment within one club-length of the ball and the ball moves then the ball must be replaced and one penalty stroke is added. In case the ball is on the putting green then there is no penalty.
• If the player removes a loose impediment on his/her line while the ball is in motion then two stroke penalty is added (in stroke play) or it results in loss of hole (in match play).

• In case of a movable obstruction, it can be removed and if the ball moves it then the ball must be replaced without any penalty.
• In case of immovable obstruction (except water hazard), the player may find the nearest point of relief which avoids the interference and drop the ball within one club-length of that point. The nearest point of relief must not be nearer the hole than where the ball lies, and must completely avoid interference by the obstruction for both stance and swing.

• The ball is considered to be in bunker when any part of it touches the sand on the ground inside the edge of the bunker or the ball is inside the edge of the bunker.
• Before making stroke in a bunker, the player must not intentionally touch the sand with hand, club, rake or any other object to test the condition of the sand.
• There is no penalty while touching the sand in the bunker under following circumstances, 
  • Digging in with the feet to take a stance for a practice swing or the stroke
  • Smoothing  the bunker to care for the course
  • Placing clubs, equipments or other objects in the bunker
  • Leaning on a club to rest, stay balanced or prevent a fall
  • Striking the sand in frustration or anger
  • Measuring, marking, lifting , replacing or taking other actions as allowed under various rules

• Water hazards can be identified as water hazards (yellow markings) and lateral water hazards (red markings). 
• If the ball is in water hazard (yellow markings) then the player may play it as it lies. If the ball is lost or the player does not want to play it then he/she may take relief from the hazard with one stroke penalty by, 
  • Dropping and playing the ball from where the player last played
  • Drop ball behind the hazard keeping the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard between the player and the hole. 
• If the ball is in lateral water hazard (red markings) then apart from the above options, the player may,
  • Drop the ball within two club-lengths of where the player’s ball last crossed the margin of the hazard, but not nearer the hole than that point.
  • If possible, do the same on the other side of the hazard at a point that is exactly the same distance from the hole.

• A ball is considered to be lost if it is not found within five minutes of search by the player/caddie.
• A ball is considered out of bounds if all if it lies out of bounds. Out of bounds is generally marked by lines for indication purpose.
• If the player thinks that the ball has been lost (except water hazards) or out of bounds then he/she should play provisional ball. The player needs to inform the opponent that he/she is playing a provisional ball and can play it before going forward to search he first ball. If the first ball is actually lost or out of bounds then the player counts the strokes taken with both the balls and add a penalty stroke while continuing the play with the provisional ball.

• If the player is unable to play the stroke due to any reason then it can be deemed as ball unplayable except in a water hazard.
• If it is deemed as ball unplayable then one penalty stroke is added and,
  • The player plays another ball from the spot where he/she played the last stroke
  • The player keeps the spot where the ball lies between him/her and the hole and drop a ball on that line as far back as he/she likes,
  • The player drops a ball within two club-lengths of where the ball lies but not nearer to the hole.