Marking your ball position: The position of the ball must be marked before it is lifted. If it is not marked, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke. The position of a ball to be lifted should be marked by placing a ball-marker, a small coin or other similar object immediately behind the ball. If the ball-marker interferes with the play, stance or stroke of another player, it should be placed one or more clubhead-lengths to one side.

Loose impediments in a sand trap: If the ball lies in a hazard, say a sand trap , the player must not touch or move anyloose impediment lying in or touching the same hazard.

Obstructions (My Favorite Rule):

• Obstructions are artificial or man-made objects. Bottles, tin cans, rakes, etc., are movable obstructions. Sprinkler heads, shelter houses, cart paths, etc., are Immovable obstructions.
• Movable obstructions anywhere on the course may be removed. If the ball moves when moving an obstruction, it must be replaced without penalty.
• You may drop your ball away from an immovable obstruction if it interferes with your swing or stance. Find the nearest point not nearer the hole where you can play without interference with your swing or stance. Drop the ball within one club-length of that point. (You may move your ball away from an immovable obstruction if it interferes with your swing or stance.) Note: You should not pick up the ball from an obstruction until you have established the nearest point of relief.

Casual Water & Ground Under Repair:

• Casual water is any temporary puddle of water caused by rain or over watering. Ground under repair is any damaged area, which the Committee has marked as such. Of course, with golf courses constantly being upgraded, I consider almost anything other than the fairway to be under repair.
• If your ball or your stance is in casual water, ground under repair or a burrowing animal hole, you may either play the ball as it lies or find the nearest place not nearer the hole which gives you relief, and drop the ball within one club-length of that place.

Embedded ball: A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground in any closely mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole . The ball when dropped must first strike a part of thecourse through the green .“Closely mown area” means any area of the course , including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.

Order of play:

• The player who has the lowest score on a hole has the right to play his/her ball first on the next hole. This is called the "honor."
• While playing a hole, the player whose ball is farthest from the hole plays first.

Ball is lost or Out of Bounds:

• A ball is lost if it is not found within five minutes after you first begin to search.
• A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies beyond the inside line of objects such as white stakes, or a fence or wall that marks the playing area.
• If your ball is lost or out of bounds, you must add a penalty stroke to your score and play another ball from where you played your last shot.
• If you think your ball may be lost or out of bounds, you may play another ball (provisional ball) from the place where your first ball was played. You must tell your opponent or fellow-competitor that you are playing a provisional ball and play it before you look for the first ball. If you cannot find your first ball or if it is out of bounds, you must count the strokes with the first and provisional balls, add a penalty stroke and play out the hole with the provisional ball. If you find your first ball in bounds, continue play with it and pick up the provisional ball.

Normally (and unofficially), if a ball is lost and a you have not hit a provisional shot, drop a ball and take a 2-stroke penalty
...if you find your ball inbounds but can't play it, then...

• If your ball is under a tree or in some other bad situation and you decide you cannot play it, add a penalty stroke and do one of the following:

1. Go back to where you played the last shot and play a ball from there
2. Measure two club-lengths from the unplayable lie, drop a ball and play from there
3. Keep the unplayable lie between where you drop the ball and the hole, go back as far as you wish on a straight line and drop and play the ball.