04 · The rulebook moments
The rulebook moments
The full USGA rulebook is 200+ pages. At a junior tournament, the same dozen situations come up over and over. This isn't the full rulebook — it's the stuff that will actually happen to your kid in their first ten tournaments, organized in the order it comes up.
Editorial — manually editable contentIntroduce yourself
EtiquetteYour junior introduces themselves to every playing partner — name, where they're from, first tournament or not. You introduce yourself to the other parents. It takes 30 seconds and sets the tone for the entire round.
Mark and identify your ball
RuleBefore you leave home, mark your ball with a permanent marker — initials, a unique dot pattern, anything that makes it identifiably yours. On the first tee, tell your playing partners exactly what you're playing: "I'm playing a Titleist 3 with two blue dots." They tell you theirs. This matters more than you think — if two players are playing the same ball and can't identify whose is whose, it creates a ruling situation that's entirely avoidable.
Same-ball rule
You must finish each hole with the same ball you started it on, unless you hit out of bounds or into a hazard. You cannot switch balls during a relief situation.
If you happen to switch balls mid-hole without realizing it, you need to identify the balls again before continuing.
Count your clubs
Rule14 maximum. Count before you leave the house. Count again on the first tee. It's an easy mistake and an expensive one.
Penalty
Two strokes per hole where the violation occurred, up to four strokes total.
Decide: honors or ready golf
EtiquetteHonors means the player with the lowest score on the previous hole tees off first. Ready golf means you play when you're ready — whoever is set up and prepared goes, regardless of order. Decide as a group before the first tee. Most junior tournaments encourage ready golf to keep pace of play moving.