PGA Features

I bet your rule book is safely stuffed at the bottom of your golf bag slowly getting buried by discarded chocolate bar wrappers.

Three questions:

1. Do you own a rule book?
2. If so, have you read it?
3. In which case, do you understand it?

If your answers to questions 2 and 3 are 'no', I bet your rule book is safely stuffed at the bottom of your golf bag slowly getting buried by discarded chocolate bar wrappers.

Am I right? If the answer is 'yes', then I would also take an educated guess that for those who do carry a rule book there are plenty who have not actually opened it let alone understood any of the contents!

Why? Knowledge of the rules of golf is quite obviously a must for any golfer as there are many things that can (and unfortunately do!) get in the way of a simple round of golf.

Maybe it's down to golf rules getting a bit of bad publicity as most times you hear of a rule being enforced it's in the form of disqualification or penalty shots?

However, although the rules do indeed penalise incorrect methods of play, good knowledge of them can obviously minimise any penalties and be of great benefit during a round.

As a golf professional, I would place my knowledge of the rules as 'satisfactory'. But I have still used the rule book a number of times in tournaments purely to double check the EXACT wording of a rule before continuing play or by using it to act as 'support' in resolving any issues with fellow competitors.

Rules are especially important in matchplay where it is possible that a decision on a ruling during the match can stand whether the ruling is correct or not!

So, if you don't own a rule book get one (they are free and most clubs have a stash of them readily available). And if you already have one, LEARN how to use it by looking up some rules that you know occur frequently. Areas in particular that are questioned time and time again are rulings on water hazards and bunkers.

And to help enhance your knowledge, visit randa.org and try the interactive rules quiz.

Finally, it goes without saying that even if you do know the rules well they can be difficult to interpret and your PGA pro will no doubt help you find the correct solution.

But it is worth remembering that if you are ever unsure in the middle of a strokeplay round you can always adopt the two ball rule! And 'no', I'm not going to tell you which rule this is and what page it's on. Get out your rule book and start reading!

Matt Nixon is the PGA professional at Bransford Golf Club, Worcestershire. For more information, call 01886 833 621 or email matt@nixongolf.com