a) At the start of the hole (e.g. in the counting game of golf)
At the first tee, the honor of an applicant is determined by the line-up. If there is no line-up, a draw should be made for the honor.
The applicant with the lowest number of strokes on a hole takes the honor on the next tee. The applicant with the next lowest number of strokes plays next and so on. If two or more competitors have the same number of strokes on a hole, they play on the next tee in the same order as on the previous tee.
Exception: Rule 32-1 (competitions with handicap against Par and according to Stableford)
b) During the play of a hole
Once the competitors have started to play the hole, the golf ball furthest from the hole is to be played first. If two or more balls are equidistant from the hole or their respective distances from the hole cannot be determined, a draw should be made to determine which ball is played first.
Exceptions: Rule 22 (ball assists or hinders play) and 31-4 (four-ball counting game).
Note: If it is known that the original ball is not to be played as it lies and the contestant must play a ball as close as possible to the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5), the sequence of play is determined by the spot from which the previous stroke was made. If a ball may be played from a position other than that from which the previous stroke was made, the sequence of play is determined by the position from which the original ball came to rest.
c) Playing out of sequence
If a contestant plays out of sequence, he does not incur a penalty and the ball is played as it lies. However, if the referee determines that a contestant has agreed to play out of sequence to give one of them an advantage, they are disqualified.
(Making a stroke while another ball is in motion after a stroke played on the green - see Rule 16-1f.)
(Wrong sequence in three and four count play - see Rule 29-3.)
Status: 2018