Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Equipment and procedural consequences
- Non-permitted putter (3.4) or ball (4.5): shots count and the lane is replayed.
- Shots played too early (11.2, 11.4) or lanes played in the wrong order (11.9): shots count and the lane is replayed.
- Shot not played from the teeing-off area, incorrect repositioning, or repositioning twice (8.11): shot is retaken and the incorrect shot counts.
Penalties for players (Rule 18.2)
Referees may impose, each only once per player per tournament, and noted on the front of the score-card:
- Admonition (A) — green card.
- Admonition and 1 penalty point (A+1) — blue card.
- Booking and 2 penalty points (B+2) — yellow card.
- Disqualification and 5 penalty points (D+5) — red card.
- 18.3: A is for infringements not listed elsewhere, generally negligent ones. If another penalty was already imposed, the next infringement gets at least the next level.
- 18.4: A+1 must be declared if the player already received A; the infringement was deliberate or wantonly negligent without advantage; a missing score entry is found after the round score was initialled (imposed on both player and score-keeper); or the player quits before reaching the target (except after 6 strokes).
- 18.5: B+2 must be declared if the player already received A+1; the infringement was deliberate with advantage or disadvantage to another competitor; a wrong score-card entry was deliberately tolerated and proved; an unauthorised ball change or non-conforming ball or putter was used; a ball's course was deliberately changed; or irreversible markings or changes were made to a lane.
- 18.6: D+5 must be declared if the player already received a B+2; competed despite a ban; as score-keeper deliberately recorded false entries (proved); changed their score-card without signing the change (proved); insulted officials; conducted violence of any kind; dropped out without reason or approval of the head referee; or smoked on the course, or consumed or carried alcoholic beverages/food or played under their influence.
- 18.7–18.8: A disqualified player must leave the course immediately and is banned at any level, regularly for four weeks starting the day after the tournament. Longer bans: 8 weeks for playing despite a ban or for offensive language toward officials; 3 months for deliberately false score-keeping; 6 months for playing under the influence of drugs, alcohol or smoking on the course; 1 year for violence; doping bans follow the WADA code and WMF anti-doping regulations.
Conduct (Rule 17)
Doping is strictly forbidden (17.1). Playing under the influence of alcoholic beverages/food is forbidden (17.2). Carrying or consuming alcoholic beverages/food and smoking, including e-cigarettes, is forbidden on the course during official practice and competition hours (17.3).
Coaches and officials (Rule 19)
Coaches may receive an admonition (green card, step 1), banishing from the course for the rest of the day (yellow, step 2) or for the rest of the tournament (red, step 3), each once per tournament (19.2). A banished coach cannot be substituted and may not affect the game in any way (19.6–19.7). Bans follow 19.8: 4 weeks regularly, up to 1 year for violence.
Protests (Rule 20)
Protests against refereeing decisions must be in writing to the chairman of the jury within 15 minutes (20.1); in matchplay they are decided on the lane (20.2). Jury decisions are final (20.3). A protest against a result list must be sent in writing within 7 days after publication (20.4).