Barb Hanson
In The Rules of Golf, Rule 10 is “Order of Play.”
It states that on the tee, the person who scored lowest on the previous hole, or in the case of match play, the player who won the previous hole, goes first.
In the fairway or on the green, we probably all know that the ball farthest from the hole is played first. But what are the consequences if you play out of turn whether it be on the tee, in the fairway or on the green?
In match play there is no penalty for playing out of order, but your opponent may immediately require you to cancel the stroke you just made and make another stroke in the correct order.
Likewise, in stroke play there is no penalty unless two players have agreed to play out of turn in order to give one of them an advantage.
However, in the interest of pace of play (especially in a stroke play situation), it’s often a good idea to play out of turn just to keep the game moving. As long as there is no intentional advantage or safety issue, go ahead and play the shot.