The honor (spelled honour in British English) is the right to play first from the tee, and it goes to the player with the best score on the previous hole. On the first hole the order is set by the draw or agreed in the group, and from the second hole on, players tee off in order of their scores on the previous hole. That is the order the Rules of Golf set out. In stroke play, however, there is no penalty for playing out of turn, and “ready golf”, where whoever is ready plays first, is actively encouraged.
The order of play from the tee
The order of play is set out in Rule 6.4 of the Rules of Golf. In stroke play it works like this:
| Hole | How the order is decided |
|---|---|
| First hole | The order on the draw or starting sheet set by the Committee. If there is none, the group agrees on an order or decides it by chance |
| Second hole onward | The player with the lowest score on the previous hole has the honor, the second lowest plays second, and so on |
| Players who tied on the previous hole | Play in the same order as on the previous tee |
In casual groups, a common way to settle the first-tee order is to toss a tee in the air and see which player it points to when it lands. Some courses provide draw sticks on the first tee.
In handicap competitions, the honor still goes by gross score
A common misunderstanding concerns handicap events. In stroke play, the honor is decided on gross scores, before handicap strokes are deducted. Even if a player would have the lowest net score after taking a handicap stroke on that hole, that does not give them the honor (see our articles on gross score and handicaps).
In match play, the winner of the previous hole
In match play, where you compete hole by hole against an opponent, the player who won the previous hole has the honor on the next tee. If the hole was halved, the player who had the honor on the previous tee keeps it.
After the tee shot, the player farthest from the hole goes first
Once everyone has teed off, the player whose ball is farthest from the hole plays first. The same applies on the green: the player farthest from the hole putts first. In English, the player farthest from the hole is said to be “away”, as in “Who’s away?” and “You’re away.”
If two balls are about the same distance and it is hard to tell, the group can simply agree on who goes first. When one player is chipping from off the green and another is putting on it, the farthest player still goes first in principle. In practice, though, the player off the green often chips first, and the ready golf approach explained below allows this.
What happens if you play out of turn
The consequences differ between stroke play and match play.
- Stroke play: there is no penalty. You carry on with the ball you played.
- Match play: there is no penalty, but your opponent may cancel the stroke. If they do, you replay it in the correct order.
- Agreeing to play out of order to give someone an advantage: if players agree to do this and one of them then plays, every player who made the agreement gets a two-stroke penalty, even in stroke play. An example would be changing the order so that one player can see how the wind affects another player’s shot first.
Provisional balls and replayed tee shots come last
If a tee shot might be out of bounds, the provisional ball or replayed ball is played from the tee after everyone else in the group has hit their tee shots. If more than one player needs to do this, they go in the original order (see our article on out of bounds and provisional balls).
Ready golf: whoever is ready plays first
Ready golf means playing when you are ready and it is safe to do so, rather than strictly following the order of play. Playing out of turn in stroke play has never carried a penalty, but since the 2019 Rules changes, the Rules explicitly encourage players to play out of turn in a safe and responsible way to save time.
Examples of ready golf:
- A player who is ready tees off while the player with the honor is still choosing a club.
- While a long hitter waits for the group ahead to clear, a shorter hitter who cannot reach plays their second shot first.
- Whoever reaches the area around the green first plays their chip first.
- A player with a short putt left keeps going and holes out without marking.
Even when playing ready golf, follow these points:
- Never walk ahead of someone who is about to play. Never play when someone is in front of you.
- If the player whose turn it is says they would like to go first, wait for them.
- Do not change the order deliberately to gain an advantage.
In match play, your opponent can cancel a stroke played out of turn, so check with them before you play out of order.
Etiquette when you have the honor
- Be ready to play. If the player with the honor only starts choosing a club after reaching the tee, the whole group falls behind. As you leave the previous green, think about the next hole’s distance and your club.
- Others should stand out of the player’s line of sight. Do not stand directly in front of or behind the player or ahead of the tee markers, and stay quiet.
- Wait until the group ahead is well out of range. If the player with the honor thinks they might still reach the group ahead, the whole group waits.
- When players in the group use different tees, having those on the back tees hit first and then moving forward reduces walking and keeps things moving. This is not a rule, just a common way to run a group.
Common things to say are “It’s your honor”, “You have the honor” and “You’re up.” For other golf words that are used differently between languages, see our list of golf terms.
At golf courses in Southeast Asia
In many places, ready golf is more common than strictly following the honor. At courses in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, local playing partners will often say “Ready golf?” or “Go ahead.” If you stand waiting for the player with the honor, the group can lose its rhythm, so if you are ready, go ahead and play.
At courses with caddies, the caddie usually hands the next player their club, so telling your caddie which club you want as your turn approaches speeds things up. When moving by cart, ask your caddie to help make sure the cart never stops ahead of a player who is about to hit.