Who administers them?
It is only comparatively recently in the history of the game that the rules have been ‘standardized’ across regional and national borders. These days, the official body responsible for the rules is one formed of representatives of the US Golf Association (USGA) and Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland (R&A).

How are they administered?
A new set of rules of golf is issued every 4 years (subject to need), the next one falling due in 2004. In between, the rules committee may be called upon for a ‘decision’ affecting the rules, and the results of these decisions are published – see the websites at www.usga.com and www.randa.org for a list of current decisions. Every 4 years it is decided whether the rules themselves require to be updated as a result of these decisions.

Introduction to the Rules of Golf
For a relatively uncomplicated game, where the principle is to knock a ball into a distant hole and repeat the exercise up to 18 times, golf does have a large and seemingly complex rulebook. In fact, the rules of golf are one of the most discussed subjects on the planet, and new situations always seem to arise which cause the ruling bodies to issue ‘decisions’ on the rules. These are eventually incorporated into the rules of the game.

Golf prides itself on being an honorable game, and depends to a very large extent on the honesty and integrity of the players themselves. It is a frequent occurrence on the course to hear a player ‘own up’ to the fact that they hit the ball twice when playing out of a hazard, or disturbed the ball or the ground around it whilst playing a shot – and taking the necessary penalty. Sadly, this is not always the case, and the rules were largely put in place to prevent cheating and other unseemly behavior! On occasions, the rules may seem unnecessarily harsh – for example, a 2-stroke penalty (in medal play) for a ball striking the flagstick on the way into a hole – but it does not take too much imagination to understand why such rules were introduced in the first place!

Rules are rules, and there are even penalties for players agreeing to waive them. But remember, the most important element of all is the ‘spirit’ of the game and the way in which it is played.

The following section covers the main areas of etiquette on the golf course, definitions, and the rules themselves. These are extracted from the rules of golf, as defined by the US Golf Association in conjunction with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland. It is for guidance only. If you require a full definition of the rules, for example, to settle a dispute over a situation arising in a game you were involved in, you must refer to the full ‘rules of golf’. These can be found on the USGA website, or alternatively the R&A website at www.randa.net. The Rules of Golf consist of the following:

1 – Etiquette
2 – Definitions
3 – The Rules of Play

In addition, there is provision for ‘Local Rules’ These are set by the Committee of a Club and are intended to cover specific local situations such as roads crossing the course. They will normally be found on the scorecard of the course in question.