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The Game

Golf in essence is a very simple game; - play a ball from the teeing ground by hitting it with a club, keep on hitting it until it goes into the hole. The player who takes the least number of strokes is the winner!

Just to make the game a little harder to play, (we all need a challenge), the rules require the ball must not be touched or moved in any way other than by means of a stroke, and the ball must be played “as it lies”.

So Easy

In the perfect world there would be no need for any further rules and as long as our arithmetic was up to standard there would be no disputes.

Complications

But things can go wrong! The ball may become lost, stray animals or even other people may pick it up and carry it away or move it to another place. There is an endless list of things that can go wrong between teeing ground and hole! That is why we need rules that will help us deal with the problems.

The Rules of Golf

By necessity the number of rules has grown over the years. However the Ruling Bodies {the R & A and USGA} have worked very hard to make The Rules readable while avoiding ambiguities and other problems in application.

This process continues as the Rule Book is updated every four years. At first glance The Rules can appear to be quite daunting, but without them how could we play the game?

Suppose we were to hit the ball from the first tee and never find it again, were it not for the “Lost Ball Rule” (Rule 27), we would have to pack up and go home as there would be no way of continuing the game. Imagine trying to play the ball in 10ft of water because there was no “Water Hazard” rule (Rule 26)!

It is clear we need The Rules and we need to know them.

First Principles

The two underlying principles of the game of golf are:-

Play the ball as it lies!
Play the course as you find it!

Of course it is not always possible to comply with these fundamentals so we have to add:-

Unless you are proceeding under a “Rule of Golf”!

But, to proceed under a rule of golf we have to know it! It is no good thinking that as long as we have some idea and we do what we think is fair, all is OK. Most times we are in competition with others, there is no point in competing if some are playing by the official rules and others are just doing what they think is fair. It is for the ruling bodies of the game to decide what is fair and lay out the procedures by means of rules that every competitor must comply with.

At this stage a word of caution is called for. As has been said, in order to proceed under a rule or to use a rule we need to know it- properly! The penalty for not complying exactly to a rule is at least two strokes or loss of hole, and in many cases will result in disqualification. So, do not proceed to take relief, touch the ball or do anything, unless you are certain of the rule.

When in trouble

Because the game is played over such a varied terrain where so many things can happen, the rules have to provide for ways that the game may progress. They do this in a way that is fair to all and at the same time preserve the two great principles.

There are rules that get us out of trouble, rules that penalize us if we do wrong and rules that preserve the integrity of the game. Most golfers are very happy to have rules that give relief for certain situations or provide for ways that allow for dropping away from nasty lies. Most will know that relief is allowed from certain conditions and on that basis will proceed to pick up the ball and drop at the nicest place of relief. Not only do they usually drop in the wrong place but are nearly always gaining an unfair advantage over other competitors, making nonsense of any sort of competition. So the point has to be repeated;- to proceed under a rule the golfer must be fully conversant with that rule, if not then the rule should not be used.

So what can be done instead?

The rules always allow for a procedure called “stroke and distance”. This simply means dropping (or teeing in the case of the teeing ground), a ball at the place where the previous stroke was made, and add a penalty stroke to the score. This can be done at any time and for any reason and the player can rest in the knowledge that she has played strictly by the rules. When could such a procedure be utilized? For an unplayable ball, a lost ball, a ball that is out of bounds a ball in casual water or GUR, a ball that is in a water hazard or when there is interference from an obstruction or simply, indeed for any reason including when the player is not 100% certain as to how to proceed.. True, the rules sometime allow for free drops, but unless the player has full knowledge of the rule it should not be used!

What better incentive could there be!

Some Basics

There are some rules that every golfer must be familiar with, these include:-

· Putting a ball into play from the teeing ground.

· Making a “stroke”

· The flagstick

· The card

· Conforming equipment.

Without a basic knowledge of the rules that govern the above the golfer could fall foul of the rules before even playing a stroke.

The teeing ground

This is an area where the ball can be put into play at each hole; it is defined by two colored markers that indicate the beginning of the hole. It is best shown in a diagram.

The area that the ball may be put into play is from the front of the markers to as far back as two club lengths, the ball may be put on the ground, rested on a tee peg, or placed on a mound of earth, sand or the like. The player is allowed to create or eliminate any irregularities of the surface within this area.

Making a stroke

A “stroke”, as defined in the rules of golf, is a combination of things, these are: - the forward movement of the club, the intention of hitting the ball, and hitting the ball “fairly”.

So the back swing is not part of the stroke, a practice swing is not a stroke, (as there is no intention to hit the ball), and the ball being fairly struck at, disallows any pushing, scraping or spooning of the ball.

The flagstick

The flagstick indicates the position of the hole but must not be struck by the ball under three specific occasions. These are:-

1. If the flagstick is being attended.

2. If the ball is being played from the putting surface.

3. If it has been removed from the hole.

(RULE 17-3)

The Card

At the start of any competition the player will be presented with a score card by the committee. The player will also be assigned a “marker”; this is usually another player in the same group. It is the players responsibility to enter their handicap on the card and ensure that the marker records the score (number of strokes), taken on each hole. This is put in the column marked “gross score” or similar. The marker must sign the card to testify the score and the player must also sign it. (R6-2 &6-6)

There is no obligation on the player to work out net scores, Stableford points or to make any additions of scores or points, this is done by the committee. (R33-5)

Equipment

A player may select up to 14 clubs for the round. The rules allow only certain types of ball and clubs to be used, this should not prove to be a problem if they are purchased from a reputable source, but it would do no harm to consult with a knowledgeable person (say the club Pro) before taking any unusual club on to the course. The penalty for carrying a non-conforming club is harsh; - Disqualification!

Rules that get us out of trouble

Rules 26, (water hazards) 27, (lost ball) and 28 (ball unplayable) are three rules that will be of huge benefit to most golfers at one time or another, and are well worth the effort of learning. There are times when it is impossible to play by the two great principles “play the course as you find it”, and “play the ball as it lies”. Were it not for these three “get out of jail” rules we might have no alternative but to pack up our bag and retire to the bar.

All these rule will get us back into the game when thing go amiss, but we will have to pay a price to use them, a penalty of one stroke added to our score. So what do we receive for our one stroke penalty?

All these rules allow us to return to where we last played a stroke and put another ball into play. This is referred to as taking “stroke and distance” in as much as the original stroke is counted in our score plus a penalty stroke and we lose the distance made with the original.

Rules 26 and 28 also allow for a ball to be dropped along an extension of a line from the hole through a reference point, where we can go back as far as we wish, as long as we keep on that line.

Dropping along a line from the hole

To illustrate, in the diagram a player has declared her ball unplayable where it lies at point (A). One of her options is to drop along an extension of a line from the hole through the ball. In this case the reference point is the point at which the ball lies. For a water hazard the reference point is where the ball last crossed over the margin of the hazard.

Of course this option is not available for a lost ball as there is no reference point to work from.

Under rule 28 (Unplayable) and for certain water hazards (“lateral”, usually defined with red stakes or lines), there is a further option, to drop a ball within two club lengths of the reference point.

So there are three dropping options,

· Stroke and distance.

· In line with the hole.

· Within 2 club lengths.

To find out how, when and where these options can be used, click on to the relevant rule in the left hand frame