The most broken rule in golf?

We all know that if you are late on the tee in a competition then there are consequences - a 2 shot penalty up to 5 minutes, following which it is disqualification. However, it is also a penalty if you tee off BEFORE your tee time.

Why would that be the case? One of the reasons is because teeing off early (either in a competition or on a general day of golf) will create slow play. Tee intervals are there to allow natural gaps to appear in the field, which should then keep play flowing better.

Therefore, can I ask that when you have a tee time, please try and stick to it. It's tempting to go early, especially when the group ahead might have made a fast start and cleared the fairway ahead, but please wait until your time.

Click here for an interesting article on this subject

Whilst on the subject of rules, can I remind you all that you only have 3 minutes to look for a ball, especially in a competition. It's important to get into the habit of starting a stop watch, or a timer to measure this. The time starts the second that the person whose ball it is starts to search. 

Why is it important? Well, if you don't use a timer, how do you know when to stop searching? Would it be fair if you found your ball after 3 minutes and 20 seconds, and you then go on to win the competition by 1 shot?