Play a hole under Rule 25

How to use it

1. Choose a golfer. Each one falls under a different part of Rule 25. You can switch golfers at any stop to compare.
2. Play the shot. The round is the same for everyone: a drive into a fairway bunker, a recovery that finds the pond, lateral relief, a pitch to the green and one putt.
3. Read the card. It gives the standard Rule first, then each modification with its Rule number.

Who can use Rule 25

Rule 25 applies in every competition and every form of play. What decides whether you may use a particular modification is your category of disability and your eligibility. Rule 25 names four categories: players who are blind, players who are amputees, players who use assistive mobility devices, and players with intellectual disabilities. In club play the Committee decides eligibility. Ranked events ask for a WR4GD Pass; the Compete & connect page explains the pathway, and the Rule 25 scorecard lists every modification by category.

The standard Rules at each stop

The whole round, golfer by golfer

Blind golfer with a guide Rule 25.2

You play with a sighted aide, often called a guide or coach. A sighted guide who also caddies is the usual set-up. High-contrast balls help low-vision players.

1. On the tee

• No penalty · Rule 25.2a. Your aide may help you take your stance and aim before the stroke, and may give advice. You may take advice from an aide and a caddie at the same time.
• No penalty · Rule 25.2c. You may set a club or other object down to help you aim or take your stance. It must be picked up before you swing: general penalty if it is still there.
• No penalty · Rule 25.2d. Your aide or caddie may stand on or near the line behind the ball during the stroke, as long as they do not help you make it.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.2b. One aide at a time. A second aide costs the general penalty for each hole where it happens.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.2e. If you have both an aide and a caddie, the aide handles your clubs only to guide you, to help with stance or aim, or as a courtesy. Otherwise you have two caddies: general penalty.

2. In the fairway bunker

• No penalty · Rule 25.2f. You may touch the sand with your club right in front of or behind the ball, and on your backswing, so long as the lie is improved no more than lightly grounding the club would.
• No change. Testing the sand and touching it in a practice swing are still prohibited.
• No change. An unplayable ball taken outside the bunker still costs two strokes.

3. Relief from the pond

• No penalty · Rule 25.2h. You may give a general authorization for any person to drop, place and replace your ball. You do not need to authorize each time.
• No penalty · Rule 25.6b. If your disability makes it hard to judge or reach knee height, the Committee should accept your reasonable judgment and reasonable effort to drop from there.
• No change. The relief area is the standard two club-lengths.

4. On the putting green

• No penalty · Rule 25.2g. Your aide, as well as your caddie, may lift your ball without asking you first.
• No penalty · Rule 25.2d. Your aide or caddie may stay behind you on the line while you putt, without helping you make the stroke.
• No penalty · Rule 25.2h. Anyone you have authorized may replace the ball.

5. Holed out

• No penalty · Rule 25.6a. The Committee sets its own standard for unreasonable delay. It should take account of the course, the weather, the competition and the extent of players’ disabilities, and a more relaxed reading may be appropriate.

Golfer with limb loss Rule 25.3

You play with a prosthetic leg and swing with one arm. One-arm clubs are shorter and lighter with counterbalanced heads. Arm amputees may use a purpose-built terminal device that clamps the grip.

1. On the tee

• No penalty · Rule 25.3a. A prosthetic arm or leg is not a breach of the equipment Rule when you have a medical reason and the Committee decides it gives no unfair advantage. Using it in an abnormal way is still prohibited.
• No penalty · Rule 25.3b. If limb loss means you cannot hold and swing most clubs without anchoring, you may anchor the club.
• No change. Rule 25.3 adds no help with stance or aim. Those Rules apply as written.

2. In the fairway bunker

• No change. Rule 25.3 does not change the bunker Rules. No touching the sand with the club before the stroke.
• No change. An unplayable ball taken outside the bunker still costs two strokes.

3. Relief from the pond

• No penalty · Rule 25.3c. You may give a general authorization for any person to drop, place and replace your ball.
• No penalty · Rule 25.6b. If your disability makes it hard to judge or reach knee height, the Committee should accept your reasonable judgment and reasonable effort to drop from there.
• No change. The relief area is the standard two club-lengths.

4. On the putting green

• No penalty · Rule 25.3d. You may replace your ball by hand or with equipment, for example by rolling it back into place with a club.
• No penalty · Rule 25.3c. Anyone you have authorized may replace the ball for you.
• No change. Lifting the ball follows the standard Rule.

5. Holed out

• No penalty · Rule 25.6a. The Committee sets its own standard for unreasonable delay. It should take account of the course, the weather, the competition and the extent of players’ disabilities, and a more relaxed reading may be appropriate.

Seated golfer in a single-rider cart Rule 25.4

You cannot walk the course. You ride a single-rider cart and swing from its seat. A single-rider cart with hand controls and a swivel seat lets you address the ball from the cart. Seated-swing clubs have shorter shafts and flatter lie angles.

1. On the tee

• No penalty · Rule 25.4f. Your cart is permitted equipment under the medical-equipment standards of Rule 4.3b. Using it in an abnormal way to help your play is still prohibited.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4d. Your stance includes the position of the cart. That counts when judging your area of intended stance and when taking relief from abnormal course conditions.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4a. Before the stroke, anyone, including another player, may physically help position you or the cart.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4h. If the cart means you cannot hold and swing most clubs without anchoring, you may anchor the club.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4b. You may take advice from an aide as you would from a caddie, and from both at once.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.4c. One aide at a time: general penalty for each hole with more.

2. In the fairway bunker

• Limit applies · Rule 25.4g. You may dig in with the cart to a reasonable extent and take reasonable steps to stop it slipping. Building up a mound to brace it is building a stance: general penalty.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.4l. You may not deliberately test the sand with the cart to learn about your next stroke. Touching sand with it for any other reason is fine.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4n. Wheeled devices only: if the ball is unplayable, you may take back-on-the-line relief outside the bunker for one penalty stroke instead of two.
• No change. Touching the sand with your club before the stroke is still prohibited.

3. Relief from the pond

• No penalty · Rule 25.4m. Wheeled devices only: your lateral relief area is measured with four club-lengths instead of two, which gives the cart room to set up.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4a. You may give a general authorization for any person to drop, place and replace your ball.
• No penalty · Rule 25.6b. If your disability makes it hard to judge or reach knee height, the Committee should accept your reasonable judgment and reasonable effort to drop from there.

4. On the putting green

• No penalty · Rule 25.4a. Your aide, as well as your caddie, may lift your ball without asking you first.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4e. You may replace the ball by hand or with equipment, such as rolling it with a club.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.4i. You may not putt with any part of the cart deliberately placed astride or touching your line of play, or its extension behind the ball.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4k. If your putt accidentally hits your cart, there is no replay. The ball is played as it lies.

5. Holed out

• No penalty · Rule 25.6a. The Committee sets its own standard for unreasonable delay. It should take account of the course, the weather, the competition and the extent of players’ disabilities, and a more relaxed reading may be appropriate.

Golfer using crutches Rule 25.4

You walk and swing with the support of forearm crutches. Canes and crutches are assistive mobility devices under Rule 25.4. The two wheeled-device provisions do not apply to them.

1. On the tee

• No penalty · Rule 25.4f. Your crutches are permitted equipment under the medical-equipment standards of Rule 4.3b. Using them in an abnormal way to help your play is still prohibited.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4d. Your stance includes where the crutches are placed. That counts for your area of intended stance and for relief from abnormal course conditions.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4a. Before the stroke, anyone, including another player, may physically help position you or your crutches.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4h. If the crutches mean you cannot hold and swing most clubs without anchoring, you may anchor the club.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.4c. One aide at a time: general penalty for each hole with more.

2. In the fairway bunker

• Limit applies · Rule 25.4g. You may dig in with the crutches to a reasonable extent to stop them slipping. Building a mound to brace them is building a stance: general penalty.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.4l. You may not deliberately test the sand with a crutch. Touching sand with it for any other reason, such as balance, is fine.
• No change. The one-stroke unplayable relief (25.4n) is for wheeled devices only. Yours still costs two.

3. Relief from the pond

• No change. The four club-length relief area (25.4m) is for wheeled devices only. Yours is the standard two.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4a. You may give a general authorization for any person to drop, place and replace your ball.
• No penalty · Rule 25.6b. If your disability makes it hard to judge or reach knee height, the Committee should accept your reasonable judgment and reasonable effort to drop from there.

4. On the putting green

• No penalty · Rule 25.4a. Your aide, as well as your caddie, may lift your ball without asking you first.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4e. You may replace the ball by hand or with equipment, such as rolling it with a club.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.4i. You may not putt with a crutch deliberately placed astride or touching your line of play, or its extension behind the ball.
• No penalty · Rule 25.4k. If your putt accidentally hits a crutch, there is no replay. The ball is played as it lies.

5. Holed out

• No penalty · Rule 25.6a. The Committee sets its own standard for unreasonable delay. It should take account of the course, the weather, the competition and the extent of players’ disabilities, and a more relaxed reading may be appropriate.

Golfer with an intellectual disability Rule 25.5

You play with an aide the Committee has provided. No special equipment. The support is a person: an aide for you, and sometimes a supervisor for the whole field.

1. On the tee

• No penalty · Rule 25.5a. The Committee may provide an aide to help you individually. You may take advice from your aide and a caddie at the same time.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.5a. A supervisor helps the whole competition, not one player. You may not take advice from a supervisor.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.5c. If you have both an aide and a caddie, the aide handles your clubs only as a courtesy, or to help with stance or lining up if the Committee allows it. Otherwise you have two caddies: general penalty.
• Limit applies · Rule 25.5b. One aide at a time: general penalty for each hole with more.
• No change. Nothing may be set down to help you aim. That Rule is not modified.

2. In the fairway bunker

• No change. Rule 25.5 does not change the bunker Rules.
• No change. An unplayable ball taken outside the bunker still costs two strokes.

3. Relief from the pond

• No penalty · Rule 25.6b. If your disability makes it hard to judge or reach knee height, the Committee should accept your reasonable judgment and reasonable effort to drop from there.
• No change. You drop the ball yourself. Rule 25.5 adds no general authorization for others to drop.
• No change. The relief area is the standard two club-lengths.

4. On the putting green

• No penalty · Rule 25.5d. Your aide, as well as your caddie, may lift your ball without asking you first.
• No change. Replacing the ball and your putting stance follow the standard Rules.

5. Holed out

• No penalty · Rule 25.6a. The Committee sets its own standard for unreasonable delay. It should take account of the course, the weather, the competition and the extent of players’ disabilities, and a more relaxed reading may be appropriate.
• No penalty · Rule 25.5e. If you also have a physical disability, the Committee should combine the Rule 25 modifications to cover both.

What this page is not

• It is not the official text. The summaries are in plain language. The Rules of Golf and your Committee govern play.
• It is not a real hole. The hole was drawn so that each situation comes up once. People, carts and relief areas are drawn larger than life.
• It does not cover every disability. Some conditions are not addressed by Rule 25. Equipment used for a medical reason is covered separately by Rule 4.3b.

Sources

Rule 25, Modifications for Players with Disabilities, Rules of Golf (The R&A and USGA, effective January 2023): randa.org and usga.org. Checked November 11, 2026. Equipment notes come from our equipment guide.