What if players agree not to apply a known penalty and continue play?

Yes, you're disqualified. If two or more players agree to ignore a Rule or penalty they know applies, and any player has started the round, all involved players are disqualified under Rule 1.3b(1) — even if they haven't acted on the agreement yet.

What the rule says

Rule 1.3b(1) makes it clear: players are responsible for applying the Rules to themselves. If you know you've breached a Rule that carries a penalty and you deliberately don't apply it, you're disqualified. The same goes for any agreement between two or more players to ignore a Rule or penalty they know exists — once anyone in that group has teed off, everyone in on the agreement is disqualified. It doesn't matter if you haven't actually used the agreement yet; the agreement itself is enough.

The key condition: you must know the rule exists

The disqualification only kicks in when players are aware of the Rule or penalty they're agreeing to ignore. If you and your playing partners genuinely don't know a Rule exists, or you don't realize a penalty applies, Rule 1.3b(1) doesn't apply and there's no disqualification. For example, if two players in a match agree beforehand to concede all putts inside three feet without knowing that's not allowed, they're not disqualified — they just didn't know the Rule prohibited it.

What happens in different formats

In stroke play, the disqualification applies to the entire competition unless it's a multi-round event where not all rounds count. In that case, you're only disqualified from the round where the agreement happened, not the whole competition. In match play, the disqualification applies to the match. If it's a team competition where only some scores count each round, a player disqualified from one round simply doesn't have their score count for that round, but they can still play and count in other rounds.

Exceptions that change the answer

• Players are unaware the Rule exists or don't know a penalty applies → Rule 1.3b(1) does not apply and there is no disqualification
• A competition where not all rounds count toward the final result → A player disqualified from one round is not disqualified from the competition; only that round's score is excluded

Frequently asked questions

What if we agree to ignore a penalty before anyone tees off?

If any player in the agreement has started the round, all are disqualified. The agreement itself triggers the penalty once play has begun, even if you haven't acted on it yet.

What if only one player knows the Rule but the others don't?

The players who don't know aren't disqualified. Only players who are aware of the Rule and agree to ignore it face disqualification.

Does this apply in match play the same as stroke play?

Yes. In match play, the players involved are disqualified from the match. The match ends and the opponent(s) win.

What if we realize the mistake and correct it before signing the scorecard?

The disqualification stands. The agreement to ignore a known Rule is the breach — correcting it later doesn't undo the disqualification under Rule 1.3b(1).

In a team event where only three of four scores count, does the whole team lose the player?

No. The player is disqualified only from the round where the agreement happened. Their score doesn't count for that round, but they can still play and have their score count in other rounds.