Is there a time limit for a shot in golf?
A · Advanced · Players, equipment and conduct · 6 of 9A player must start at the exact time set and play without unreasonable delay. Arriving up to five minutes late costs the general penalty on the first hole. Later than that is disqualification. The Rules recommend making each stroke within 40 seconds, and Committees set their own pace-of-play policies.
How it works
Starting:
- The starting time is exact: 9 am means 9:00:00.
- Up to five minutes late, or up to five minutes early: the general penalty on the first hole.
- More than five minutes late: disqualification, unless the Committee finds exceptional circumstances.
- A player must stay in the group the Committee set.
Delay:
- A player must not unreasonably delay play, during a hole or between holes.
- First breach: one penalty stroke. Second: the general penalty. Third: disqualification.
- The 40 seconds is a recommendation, counted from when the player is able to play without interference.
- A Committee should adopt its own Pace of Play Policy as a Local Rule. It may set time limits for a round, a hole or a stroke, with its own penalties.
- In stroke play, playing out of turn to save time is encouraged.
Practice:
- No practice stroke while playing a hole. A practice swing is not a practice stroke.
- Between holes a player may practise putting or chipping on or near the green of the hole finished and the next tee, but not from a bunker.
- On the day of a stroke-play competition a player may not practise on the course before the round.
Tricky cases
Is there a shot clock in the Rules of Golf?
No. Forty seconds is a recommendation. A fixed limit with penalties exists only where a Committee has written one into its pace-of-play policy.
A player reached the first tee three minutes late. Are they disqualified?
No. Within five minutes the penalty is two strokes in stroke play or loss of the first hole in match play.
Can a player hit a few practice putts after finishing a hole?
Yes, unless a Local Rule forbids it, and as long as it does not delay play.
Why the rule exists
Every group's pace sets the pace of all the groups behind it. The Rules say a round "is meant to be played at a prompt pace".
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rules of Golf | As above | G 5.3; G 5.5; G 5.6 |
| Tours and championships | Their own timing policies and penalties | C (not saved) |
| Match play | Practice on the course before a round is allowed | G 5.2a |
From the rule book
The R&A and USGA Rules of Golf, Rules 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6. Effective January 2023. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules of Golf (PDF).