Rules question · Rule 5.3a · Medium
Late for my starting time: what is the penalty?
Your starting time is 10:00. You arrive at the first tee, ready to play, at 10:03. What is the ruling in stroke play?
Answer
Two penalty strokes on the first hole
If you arrive ready to play no more than five minutes late, you get the general penalty on your first hole: two strokes in stroke play, loss of the hole in match play. More than five minutes late means disqualification. The same applies if you start up to five minutes early.