There was once a popular Korean phrase, "naeronambul" — meaning "when I do it, it's romance; when others do it, it's an affair." Golf rules contain some situations that resemble this.
The most common example is the use of an umbrella. In summer, players often pull out an umbrella to block rain or sunlight. Holding an umbrella yourself while making a stroke is "romance" — that is, no penalty. For example, holding an umbrella with one hand while putting with the other. But if you make a stroke while a caddie or someone else holds the umbrella over you, it becomes an "affair" — that is, a penalty — because someone else did it.
When watching professional golf broadcasts, you can see a caddie holding an umbrella over a player in the rain, then stepping aside before the player makes the stroke. This is exactly the reason why.
Golf rules (10.2b(5)) stipulate that a player must not make a stroke while receiving physical help from their caddie or another person. A caddie may provide the player with information, advice and other assistance, but must not provide physical help that directly affects the stroke.
A player also must not make a stroke while deliberately standing their caddie or another person in position, or deliberately placing an object, for the purpose of removing something that distracts their concentration. Nor may a player make a stroke while deliberately positioning a caddie, another person or an object at a specific spot to gain protection from sunlight, rain, wind or other elements.
For example, when putting on the green, a player must not have a caddie stand in a particular position or set up a golf bag to block strong wind and rain. A violation results in the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play, loss of the hole in match play).
However, it is permitted for a player to wear rain gear or hold an umbrella themselves to protect against the elements while making a stroke. A player may also tell a person who happens to be in a certain position (someone the player did not request) to stay where they are, or conversely ask them to move away. This applies, for example, when a gallery member or another person is casting a shadow as the player is about to make a shot.
One more case can be considered. What happens if a player, having to hit from a kneeling position, lays rain gear on the ground to keep their clothes from getting dirty, or wears the rain gear while making the stroke? In this case, laying down the rain gear and making the stroke results in the general penalty for improving the area of the intended stance (8.1). But hitting a shot while wearing the rain gear is not a problem.
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