Rule 1-3: Agreement to Waive Rules
Players must not agree to exclude the operation of any Rule or to waive any penalty incurred. The penalty for a breach of this Rule is disqualification of both sides in match play, or disqualification of the competitors concerned in stroke play.
One example of such an agreement is if players agree to “give putts within the leather” in stroke play.
Rule 1-4: Points Not Covered by Rules
If any point in dispute is not covered by the Rules, the decision should be made in accordance with equity.
One example of a decision made in equity is that a player is allowed relief without penalty when his ball lies in or so close to a bird's nest that he could not play a stroke without damaging it.