Rules of Golf

Amazingly, golf only has 34 rules that cover all aspects of the game. These rules govern what a player should do in all aspects of the game. Simple !!! Not quite. The problem with rules are that they are subject to change and are open to interpretation. On a regular basis, the R & A revise and tweak these rules and interpretations. For many players, it is difficult to keep a breast of these changes and these could result in penalties being incurred or, in extreme cases, they could result in disqualification. Ignorance of the rules is no defense as this is covered by rule 6-1 :-

"The player and his caddie are responsible for knowing the Rules. During a stipulated round, for any breach of a Rule by his caddie, the player incurs the applicable penalty."

This section is an attempt to bring to a player's attention some of the rulings and interpretation that they would commonly come across in a round of golf. They are based on the R & A's 31st Edition of the rules, effective 1 January 2008. Where possible, there will be a link to the R & A page that covers the ruling.

As mentioned before, things change and interpretations may be revised. We will try our best but we may get things wrong. If you think we've got something wrong, please let us know by contacting Email : admin@hegc.orgClick here, ideally with links to supporting evidence and we will be more than happy to change these pages.