No one expects you to know all the rules of golf, but there are a few rules about commonly-ocurring events which the golfers I play with seem to get tripped up on or just don’t know. Here are some confusing procedures simplified, with the rule book reference in parentheses.

Sometimes you get to pick up your ball and drop it in another spot, either one club-length or two club-lengths from where it lies. Drop it one club-length away, but not nearer to the hole, in the case of a ball:
– on or near an immovable obstruction (commonly, a cart path) (24-2)
– interfered with by an abnormal ground condition (25-1)
– on the wrong putting green (25-3)

You get to drop two club-lengths away when the ball is:
– in a water hazard (26)
– in an unplayable lie (28)

You can see that if you’re just taking relief, it’s one club-length. If you’re taking relief and have to take a penalty stroke as well, it’s two club-lengths.

There are lots of one-stroke penalties, most of which cover rare occurrences. The most common ones, though, are these:
– while taking relief from a ball in a water hazard (26)
– while taking relief from an unplayable lie (28)
– accidentally moving the ball when not making a stroke (and the ball must be replaced) (18)
– lost ball or ball out of bounds (also incurs loss of distance) (27)
– lifting a ball to identify it when not necessary to do so (12-2)

Pretty much everything else you are likely to run across is a two-stroke penalty, including these things which you see all the time:
– improving one’s lie in the fairway (13-2)
– moving or breaking off branches or plants that are in the way of the ball, or the player’s stance or stroke (13-2)
– teeing up forward of the tee markers (11-2)
– grounding the club in a bunker (13-4)
– hitting the wrong ball (15-3)
– conceding putts in stroke play (3-2)

If you just want to knock the ball around, who cares about the rules? But if you’re writing down scores, it’s best to follow them.

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