Official Golf Order of Play Rules for Stroke & Match Play

If you and your playing partners are debating the official Rules of what order you play in, look no further than the USGA. The governing body of golf will get your group on the right track. 

According to the USGA: “When starting a hole, generally the player with the lowest score on the previous hole plays first. After starting a hole, the ball farthest from the hole is usually played first.”

Despite stipulating order of play rules in the official Rulebook, the USGA allows and encourages players to play ready golf to speed up the pace of play. Ready golf rules allow whichever player is ready to play first, to play.

While that explanation from the USGA is spot on, you might be wondering how you determine your order on the first tee box. Here are a few options:

• If you have golfers playing from different tee boxes, those teeing off from the further box should go first. This avoids golfers from the back tees potentially hitting into those playing the forward tees.
• Go by handicap. Whoever has the lowest handicap tees off first. Or vice-versa and they tee off last.
• Put names into a hat and draw them out to determine order.
• Have the foursome stand in a circle and throw a tee in the air. Whoever the tee points to is the first to tee off. Repeat for the remaining three, then two players.
• Everyone places one golf ball into a bag, perhaps someone's valuables pouch. The first ball drawn belongs to the person that goes first. Repeat for the remaining three, then two players.

Once the entire group has teed off, play in order of farthest to closest to the hole for the remainder of the hole. This includes chipping and putting.

Once you’ve recorded your scores for the first hole, the person with the lowest score tees off first on hole No. 2. The next best score tees off second, the next best third, and then fourth. In the event of ties, always revert back to the order from the previous tee box.

While ready golf and a casual approach to order of play Rules are encouraged in stroke play, the order of play is not to be messed with in match play.

Match play is a scoring system in golf that uses points rather than a numerical score for each hole. It can be played in team formats such as the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and Solheim Cup. It can also be played head-to-head as we see in the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play as well as the U.S. Amateur.

When it comes to Rule 6.4 and order of play in match play, the USGA states, “In match play, the order of play is fundamental; if you play out of turn, your opponent may cancel that stroke and make you play again.”

While you run the risk of your opponent canceling a great shot by playing out of turn in match play, there are no penalty strokes for doing so.

In match play, you may only play out of turn when you and your opponent agree to do so in order to save time. This must be done on a case-by-case basis. You and your opponent cannot make a blanket agreement to play out of turn throughout an entire match.

On the first tee box, order of play in match play is determined by drawing names. From there, follow the same rules as stroke play.

Order of play rules remain the same on the putting green as the rest of the hole. The player furthest away plays first, even when not all players are on the green.

For example, Frank and Greg are playing together. Frank's ball is on the fringe of the green, 15-feet from the hole. Greg's ball is on the putting surface, but he's 45-feet from the hole. Even though Greg is on the putting green and Frank isn't yet, it's Greg's turn to play because he is farthest from the hole.

However, when this scenario presents itself, particularly in stroke play, it's common for players to agree to let all players reach the green before the group begins putting.

If everything above seems a bit formal, that’s because it is. The order of play in golf is designed to keep the match moving, but what about when the movement slows down? There are exceptions to the rules, so to speak.

Ready golf is a term many weekend amateurs use, and the USGA strongly encourages this time-saving technique.

Slow play is a major issue in golf. With peak weekend rounds easily taking five hours or more on many courses, courses have begun to offer less than 18-hole rates, building short courses, and monitoring members' pace of play. People do not want to be on the golf course for five hours.

Under Rule 5.6 the USGA encourages ready golf as a means to help pace of play as long as it’s agreed on by all players involved.

One area where a group can save some time is with short putts on the green. If the group agrees to pick up tap-in range putts, (aka gimmes) it will allow your group to clear the green quickly and the group behind you to advance. Not sure how to consider a putt a gimme? Use the old “inside the leather” trick. Place the butt end of the grip on the edge of the hole. If the ball is within the length of the grip, it’s a gimme. Just be sure to not measure too long, leading you to be slower than if you had just hit the putt in the first place.

While keeping a playing order on the golf course might seem trivial, there are matches in which order of play is treated quite seriously. That doesn’t mean it has to apply to you and your buddies, but if we all do our part to keep it moving, it will make for an even more enjoyable day in the sun.