Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains the rules about listening to music while playing golf
What is the rule for playing music on the golf course?
This sounds like it should be simple to answer. The answer is it depends on what is being played and the reason for it and is explained in Rule 4.3a(4).
A player is allowed to listen to audio (or watch a video) on matters unrelated to the competition being played e.g. a news report, background music, but be considerate. Others do not want to hear the beat of heavy metal emanating from your headphones!
However, a player must not listen to music or other audio to eliminate distractions or to help with swing tempo. Nor can a player watch videos of the competition that help the player in choosing a club, making a stroke or deciding how to play during the round, except a player may watch a video that is being broadcast to spectators at the course eg on a scoreboard.
So, if the player is listening to music purely for enjoyment, it is not assisting with their game and it is not adversely affecting other players then it is permitted.
By Sheila Waltham
About the author
Sheila Waltham has been a qualified rules official for over 15 years and joined the England Golf Tournament Panel of Referees in 2019. A keen golfer since 1995, Sheila’s interest in the Rules was born out of the realisation that a lot of the information she received as a novice golfer was incorrect. So, she took matters into her own hands!
Become a whizz on the rules and check out our previous Ask the Ref features, like this one: What happens if my golf ball ends up in a puddle?
