GolfingNewbies.com -> Rules of Golf

Do You Know the Rules of Golf?
Playing by the rules of golf makes the game have dignity...

In my experience, when any sport is played, the players must have agreement about the rules of
the game. Golf is no exception. Amateurs in a casual game usually are not held to observance of
the rules of golf as are the professionals. Yet, if order is to be maintained and disagreements
minimized, the rules of golf should be considered applicable to the the game, regardless of the
skill levels of the players. As discussed on the golf handicap page, the handicap system is a
compensatory venue to overcome some of the effects of stringent rules of golf which impose
penalty strokes for situations which might occur often for amateurs.

Besides creating a standard to prevent disagreement, rules of golf create order on the golf course.
Can you imagine the chaos which might exist if there were no rules specifying courtesy to be used
between foursomes at different holes? What about the condition of the greens, the fairways, the
teeing ground�would they be as nice to look at and use if there were no rules of golf? And finally,
if there were no restrictions on the type or fashion of the golf clubs, can you imagine the weird
clubs which might appear? There are many more reasons why the rules of golf were established,
but one reason that seems to be a little less obvious, but is meaningful, is simply: the rules of golf
give the game a certain dignity that has been part of the sport from its very beginning, many years
ago in Scotland. The originators of the game also originated many of the rules of golf. We owe it to
them to follow their intentions in our play. The USGA, as do its counterparts in other countries,
continues to fine-tune the rules of golf as there are changes in golf club and golf ball technology or
as social situations relating to our modern age may dictate.

It may be said that the rules of golf are like the skeleton of a fish. Without the backbone and
attached bones, a fish would not be able to move much and its organs would have no support or
protection. Similarly, the game we love would not be enjoyable, it would not move along
peacefully, and its players would not be supported or protected if there were no rules of golf.

The rules of golf have been developed and fine-tuned continuously over many years. The intent of
this page is to point to and comment on the need for the rules of golf, and not to list them. Follow
this link to the actual Rules of Golf, as published by the United States Golf Association (USGA), then
come back to this page for this commentary on why these rules are necessary.