A surprisingly easy mistake to make – especially if you are used to playing from a particular place or set of tees. On a strange course you can even play off the tee for a different hole!
This is a mistake that you must correct in a medal competition or you will be disqualified. The strokes that you have played from the wrong tee, or continuing with play of that ball, do not count, but you have a 2 stroke penalty and must start the hole again playing from the correct tee – playing 3. (NB In stableford you are only DQ’d from the hole if you don’t play again from the correct tee).
In matchplay your opponent may choose to let your stroke stand, or ask you to play again (without penalty) from the correct teeing area.
Don’t believe its an easy mistake? Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson got caught out this winter when the 17th and 9th teeing areas were moved for the last round at the Hero World Challenge.
Golf Rules Guru 
If you play 6 holes from the wrong tees and then the remaining holes off the correct tees in a stableford comp are you disqualified or do the points you scored off the correct tees counted?
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Hi Paul
In a stableford you would not be disqualified but would score no points on the holes played from the incorrect tees.
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What would happen if you had finished the round signed your card entered it in the computer and only then realised you had played from the wrong tee.?
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Hi Susan
You should tell the organising committee of the error immediately! You can’t avoid a DQ in a medal, but in stableford I believe that the committee can correct your score for the hole or holes as you did not know of the penalty when you returned your scorecard. This is an exception to Rule 3.3b(3) which applies only before a competition is closed. The exception doesn’t apply to DQ penalties, but Rule 21.1c changes the penalty in stableford to zero points on the hole.
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Thanks thats what I thought.
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