GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Can you practise putting or chipping between golf holes during a round?
Between holes, Rule 5.5b permits limited putting or chipping on or near the green you just completed, on any practice green, or in the next teeing area. You must not practise from a bunker or unreasonably delay play. A practice swing with no intent to hit a ball is different from a practice stroke. A Committee may adopt Model Local Rule I-2 to restrict practice on or near the previous green and may include its optional practice-green restriction; check the actual Local Rule because the model text is not automatic.
For Golfers considering an extra practice putt or chip after finishing a hole and before starting the next. · Updated
Between holes, practice is limited to named places
After completing a hole and before making a stroke to start the next, Rule 5.5b allows practice putting or chipping on or near the green just completed, on any practice green, or in the next teeing area. The stroke must not be made from a bunker and must not unreasonably delay play.
If a player breaches Rule 5.5 between holes, the general penalty applies to the next hole. Other course or event policies may add details, so check the competition information.
A practice swing is not always a practice stroke
While playing a hole, a player must not make a practice stroke at any ball on or off the course. A practice swing made without intent to strike a ball is not a practice stroke. The distinction depends on whether the player intended to hit a ball, not just whether the club moved.
The between-hole permission applies only to the listed places and activities. It does not create a general right to practise from a bunker or anywhere on the course.
Model Local Rule I-2 applies only if adopted
A Committee may adopt I-2 to prohibit practice strokes on or near the green just completed and to prohibit testing that green by rubbing it or rolling a ball. The model text also shows an optional restriction for practice greens. The Committee’s actual adopted wording determines the effect for that competition.
Do not infer a ban from the model’s existence. Check the event’s notice, scorecard or other official Local Rule communication; if none applies, use the Rule 5.5b baseline described above.
A putt after the ninth hole
In a fictional round, stipulate that no relevant Local Rule has been adopted. After finishing the ninth hole, Eli makes one practice putt on or near that green without unreasonable delay and outside any bunker. This fits the baseline between-hole permission; a practice chip from a bunker would not. During another hole, Eli makes a swing with no intent to strike a ball, which is not a practice stroke under Rule 5.5a. In a separate conditional case, if the Committee adopted I-2, Eli would check its exact previous-green practice and surface-testing restrictions before practising there. Any optional practice-green restriction would apply only if it was included in the adopted text.
Related questions
Can I chip from a bunker between holes?
No. The between-hole permission for putting or chipping does not allow practice strokes from a bunker.
Does Model Local Rule I-2 ban every practice green?
No. A Committee may adopt a prohibition for the previous green and may include an optional practice-green restriction. The adopted wording controls.