Golf Rules

Golf is such a complicated game to play, who "needs a rule book to make life even more difficult? What happed to teeing the ball up, hitting it, playing it as it lies and adding the score up as you go? Unfortunately, golf, like life, is rarely that straightforward.

There are so many situations that can arise on a golf course and in a competition that the authorities have to have a rule to cover every eventuality. Therefore there are rules as to drop zones, immovable obstructions, loose impediments, the correct method of filling out your scorecard, the various ways of dealing with a hazard, and a bewildering number of other facts you need to know.

This section deals with the rules and decisions that a player is most likely to encounter in an everyday round of golf, and also has a good selection of the more unusual situations that players may find themselves in.

A good working knowledge of these rules and regulations will not only speed up your game, but can actually save you a few strokes. Knowing where you can drop the ball after knocking it into a lake, for example, may give you an advantage when playing your next shot.

Even though these rules provide a very good grounding, an in-depth look at the official Royal and Ancient rulebook is certainly worthwhile.