Rule 2 introduces the central principles of the game for the player: play the course as you find it, play the ball as it lies, play by the Rules and in the spirit of the game, and apply your own penalties so that you do not gain an advantage.
BACK2BACK BIRDIES
Nelly Thorncraft is the quiet authority of Back2Back Birdies—a brilliantly observant Rainbow Lorikeet whose expertise spans LPGA golf, swing mechanics, club fitting, apparel, and performance strategy. While Rory explains the technology and Scottie celebrates the excitement, Nelly focuses on helping golfers understand why great decisions lead to better golf. Calm, insightful, and endlessly composed, she believes confidence comes from preparation rather than luck.
Golf doesn't reward perfection. It rewards good decisions.
Discover more Rules Explainers that go beyond the rulebook to reveal the strategy, history, and philosophy behind golf's most important decisions.
Golf begins with a radical act of trust: every player is responsible for applying the Rules against their own interests. Through famous rulings, Saturday-morning temptations and the choices nobody else sees, Rule 1 reveals why integrity is the game’s true first principle.
One of golf’s most misunderstood rules gets broken down in plain language, with real examples of when to reload, when to declare a provisional, and what stroke-and-distance actually means.
PLACEHOLDER
