Can you use a golf buggy in a golf competition

The Rules of Golf allow a buggy unless the committee says otherwise

The starting point surprises a lot of golfers. Nothing in the Rules of Golf requires a player to walk. Riding in a buggy during a round is allowed by default, and it only becomes a breach when the committee running the competition has chosen to prohibit it.

The way a committee does that is Model Local Rule G-6, published by The R&A and the USGA in the committee procedures part of the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf. In substance it says that during a round neither a player nor a caddie may ride on any form of motorised transport unless the committee has authorised it or approves it afterwards. It covers caddies as well as players, and any motorised transport rather than only a golf buggy.

The penalty is the general penalty for each hole during which the breach happens: two strokes in stroke play, or loss of the hole in match play. A breach between two holes counts against the next hole. Riding the back nine without permission is therefore not one penalty but one per hole, which is why it is worth settling before the first tee rather than after.

In January 2026 The R&A published its new and updated Model Local Rules for the year, and G-6 was among them. The explanation that goes with the rule now makes clear that a committee can approve a ride afterwards where a player reasonably believed it was authorised, such as a lift offered by somebody who appeared to be acting for the competition. It is a sensible change, but it is a discretion for the committee rather than a defence for the player, and asking first remains the safer course.

Where to find out whether G-6 applies

A local rule only binds a competition if the committee has adopted it, so the answer sits in the paperwork for that particular event. Clubs often adopt a standing set of local rules for their competitions and then vary them for individual events, so last month's answer is not necessarily this month's.

If the terms say nothing, the default applies and riding is not a breach of the Rules. It can still break the club's buggy policy, which is a different document dealing with ground conditions, who may drive and where. The two are easily confused. A course closed to buggies because the fairways are saturated is not applying G-6; it is applying its conditions policy, and that applies to everybody on the course that day.

• The terms of the competition or the entry form.
• The local rules sheet, hard card or notes on the scorecard.
• The competition notice board, or the event page on the club's booking system.
• The club's buggy policy, for conditions and driving rules rather than the Rules of Golf.
• The day's course status, if the club runs a traffic light system.

Where G-6 is adopted, disabled golfers who need a buggy should be authorised

England Golf's Buggy and Motorised Transport Guidance for affiliated clubs and counties, updated in September 2025, is direct on this point. A committee may adopt G-6, but where a golfer needs a buggy because of a disability, the committee is expected to authorise it unless genuine safety grounds prevent it. The guidance gives the reason in terms of the Equality Act 2010: a rule applied to everyone that shuts out disabled golfers who need a buggy may amount to indirect discrimination.

It illustrates the point with two short examples. A term prohibiting buggies for all players is its example of bad practice. Its example of good practice keeps the prohibition but adds that disabled golfers who need a buggy will be authorised on request. The difference is one sentence in the terms of competition, and it changes the position of every golfer who reads them.

On evidence, the guidance asks clubs to keep it simple and never burdensome. It names an EDGA player pass, a Blue Badge or evidence the club already holds as examples, and says clubs should not make a GP letter the only thing they accept, because such letters are not always routinely available on the NHS. Decisions should be consistent, recorded and explained in the terms of play.

Where conditions stop full access, the guidance asks committees to consider alternatives such as a nine-hole competition or an adjusted format. It describes itself as general information rather than legal advice, but it is the standard an affiliated club will be measured against by its members and its county.

England Golf's own events under the 2026 Transportation Policy

England Golf runs its own championships under a separate document, its Transportation Policy, the current version approved on 16 April 2026. It applies only to events England Golf organises and manages, and it says plainly that it does not apply to club or county competitions, which follow their own terms.

The policy splits its events in two. In Handicap Events, where players play from a handicap, there are no restrictions on who may use a buggy beyond the policy's insurance, safety and host venue requirements. In Elite Scratch Events England Golf adopts G-6, and a buggy may be used only with prior approval. The scratch events are listed in a schedule to the policy and include the Brabazon Trophy, the English Men's and Women's Amateur Championships and the county finals, among others. The list can change, so check it for the event you are entering.

Approval in a scratch event depends on a completed request form reaching England Golf at least 14 days before the competition starts, confirming a disability, and on England Golf's view that a buggy is a reasonable adjustment for it. Disability takes its Equality Act meaning, including a long-term effect, which the policy puts at 12 months or more. Short-term injuries such as broken bones or pulled muscles are expressly outside it.

Players self-certify, and no medical evidence is needed in the first instance. An accepted request produces a buggy certificate valid only for the named event, so a new one is needed for each scratch event. A refusal must come with reasons, and it can be appealed in writing to England Golf's governance team within five working days, with a decision due within five working days of the appeal.

Set against the January 2024 version, the 2026 changes are modest but worth knowing. The definition of disability no longer includes an effect on the ability to play a round, which brings it into line with the Equality Act wording. England Golf now reserves the right to ask for medical evidence where it considers that proportionate. And the schedule of scratch events has grown, adding the super senior championships among others.

• The player sources the buggy. England Golf is not obliged to provide one.
• The buggy is for the player and their equipment only, unless a third-party driver has been approved.
• Speed is limited to 15mph at most, and the buggy gives way to pedestrians.
• Public highways and pavements are prohibited, along with any area signed as closed.
• The user needs insurance covering third-party liability and must show the certificate on request.
• The committee or host venue can still refuse on the day for weather, ground or safety reasons.

Playing partners, caddies and the second seat

The second seat is where people get caught out. England Golf's club guidance says golfers without a disability should not use a buggy only for convenience or to accompany a disabled player. It accepts that limited use may be fine where the Rules allow it, giving the example of going back to play a second ball, provided it gives no competitive advantage and does not breach the competition terms.

England Golf's own policy limits a buggy to the player and their equipment unless the committee decides a third party needs to drive because of age or disability. Where a disability prevents the player driving, the player may nominate a driver, who must then be approved. For players under 18, the committee can specify who drives if the person with parental responsibility is unable to. Scottish Golf's policy takes the same approach.

Because G-6 names caddies as well as players, a caddie riding in an authorised player's buggy needs authorisation too. If a friend is going to drive for you, or a caddie is going to ride, put it in the request rather than assuming the player's permission stretches to cover them.

Scotland, Wales and the island of Ireland

Scottish Golf's Transportation Policy, in the version dated January 2023, applies at the championships Scottish Golf runs. It makes walking a term of those competitions unless a committee member permits a buggy, with the G-6 penalty for a breach. A buggy may be used by a player, or in some events a caddie or third party, who has a valid medical certificate of disability completed by a registered GP or consultant, has asked by the entry closing date, and has written permission at least 14 days before play, or on the day where advance permission was not possible.

The committee may not refuse without good reasons, can require a buggy not to exceed walking pace, and asks for a copy of the insurance certificate before use. A refusal can be appealed within five working days, with a decision within ten, and there is an urgent procedure on the day of a competition, decided by three committee members who are present. Our guide to Scottish golf buggy policy covers how the links courses visitors most often ask about handle buggies in ordinary play.

Golf Ireland governs the game across the whole island, so its approach reaches clubs in Northern Ireland as well as the Republic. Its Buggy Guidelines for clubs ask them to avoid blanket bans wherever possible, to plan access hole by hole, and to accept straightforward evidence such as an EDGA badge, the medical certificate from Golf Ireland's own transportation policy, or membership of a recognised association for golfers with a disability. The guidelines point clubs in Northern Ireland to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 rather than the Equality Act 2010.

Golfers in Wales play under the Equality Act 2010, as in England and Scotland. For Welsh events, look to the terms of the competition and to Wales Golf for its own championships, rather than assuming another nation's document applies.

Specialist equipment and Rule 25

Not every golfer who needs help getting round uses a two-seat buggy. England Golf's guidance names single-rider adapted buggies and standing mobility devices, and treats specialist equipment as a reasonable aid to be accommodated unless there are objective safety grounds, giving extreme waterlogging as its example.

Rule 25 of the Rules of Golf contains the modifications for players with disabilities, and England Golf's guidance relies on it in saying golfers using specialist devices must not be excluded from competition play. Golf Ireland's guidelines make the same point about the ParaGolfer, a specialised wheelchair that lets a golfer play a shot from a more upright position. Where conditions rule a device out for a day, both bodies expect the club to have set out in advance how that decision is made and communicated.

Hired buggies at a society, charity or corporate golf day

A golf day is where hired buggies most often meet competition rules, and the organiser is usually the one writing the terms. If the day has a stableford or a prize, say in the terms whether buggies are open to every player or authorised only for those who need one. Leaving it unsaid means the default applies and everyone may ride, which is fine as long as it is a decision rather than an oversight.

The club's buggy policy still governs the course. Numbers, routes, keep-off areas and the day's ground conditions are the club's call, and a buggy brought in by a supplier is normally treated like any other machine on the property. Agree beforehand what happens if the status drops on the morning: fewer buggies, paths only, or a later start. England Golf's guidance expects clubs to ask private buggy users for a signed safety acknowledgement and evidence of insurance, and a club may reasonably ask something similar of a hired fleet.

If you are arranging buggies for a golf day, we can quote once we know the venue, the date and how many are needed. The club's agreement comes first: no supplier can put buggies on a course the club has not agreed to.

How to ask, so the answer arrives in time

A request that is late or vague is the easiest one to turn down, and a committee that meets monthly may not see it before the draw. Put it to the competition committee in writing, before the entry closing date, and say exactly what you are asking for.

• Read the terms of the competition and check whether G-6 has been adopted.
• Ask before the closing date, and at least 14 days ahead for England Golf and Scottish Golf championships.
• Say whether you will drive yourself or need a named driver approved.
• Send the evidence the committee asks for, and ask what it accepts if you do not have that.
• Ask what happens to your authorisation on a day the course is restricted.
• Keep the written authorisation with you on the day, on paper or on your phone.

Common questions

Are golf buggies allowed in golf competitions?

Under the Rules of Golf, yes, unless the committee has adopted Model Local Rule G-6, which prohibits riding without authorisation. Many competitions adopt it. Check the terms of the competition, and ask the committee in writing if you need a buggy.

What is the penalty for using a golf buggy without permission in a competition?

Where G-6 is in force, the general penalty for each hole during which the breach happened: two strokes in stroke play, or loss of the hole in match play. A breach between holes applies to the next hole. Since the January 2026 update, a committee can approve a ride afterwards if the player reasonably believed it was authorised.

Can a club refuse a disabled golfer a buggy in a competition?

England Golf's guidance for affiliated clubs says a disabled golfer who needs a buggy must be authorised even where G-6 applies, unless genuine safety grounds prevent it, and warns that excluding them may be indirect discrimination. A course closed to buggies for ground conditions is a separate decision. A refusal can be challenged through the club's complaints procedure.

Do I need a medical certificate to use a buggy in a competition?

It depends on who runs it. England Golf's scratch events use self-certification, with evidence requested only where proportionate. Scottish Golf's championships ask for a certificate from a GP or consultant. For club events, England Golf's guidance suggests simple evidence such as an EDGA pass or a Blue Badge, and says a GP letter should not be the only thing accepted.

Can my playing partner ride in my buggy during a competition?

Not simply for convenience. England Golf's guidance says golfers without a disability should not use a buggy to accompany a disabled player, and its own policy limits a buggy to the player unless a driver has been approved. If you need somebody to drive, name them in your request.

Does a broken ankle count for using a buggy in a competition?

Not in England Golf's own events: its 2026 policy says short-term injuries such as broken bones or pulled muscles do not meet the criteria. A club running its own competition can still choose to allow it, and England Golf's guidance describes adjustments for short-term injuries as good practice rather than a requirement.