Skip to content

Rule 10 · Playing the ball

Rule 10: Stroke, advice, caddie

Official title: Preparing for and Making a Stroke; Advice and Help; Caddies

You make your own strokes and your own decisions. You fairly strike at the ball without anchoring the club, and you may only get advice from your caddie and your partner.

10.1 The stroke

You strike the ball with the clubhead without pushing, scraping or scooping it. You must not anchor the club against your body, and that includes long putters. You must not deliberately stand with your feet either side of the line of play or with one foot on it, and you normally must not hit a moving ball.

10.2 Advice and help

You may only give or ask for advice with your partner and your caddies. Advice is anything about club choice, how to play or your swing. Distances, where bunkers or penalty areas are and the Rules are not advice. Nobody may set down an object as an aiming aid. Once you begin taking your stance, your caddie must not stand on or close to the line behind your ball to help you aim.

10.3 Caddies

You may only have one caddie at a time. They may carry your clubs, advise you and do many things for you. You are responsible for all they do, and their breaches of the Rules count as yours.

Our own simplified summary of the 2023 Rules of Golf. The official Rules text is what counts.