Rules...

[RC]

I keep a copy of the "Decisions on the Rules of Golf" on my bedside table. Between "fall asleep novels" I will read sections of the Decisions. I've probably read through this copy multiple times, but I still discover strange, weird, and surprising rulings that actually make reading the rules/decisions interesting -- it is kind of fun, if you are a golf addict. How else are you to know that a Pineapple in a bunker is removable (if there are no pineapple trees around) or that you can replay some shots without penalty (if you hit a power line within the course, for example.) I'm talking about exciting stuff...

[Fourputt]

17 of 18. Without looking anything up.

In real life, I will always look up the answer if I'm uncertain... and sometimes even if I feel that I'm certain. The real key to being good with the Rules of Golf is knowing how to find the answer when you are uncertain, or when the person you are making the ruling for doesn't believe the answer and needs to see it in black and white.

When you participate in a 4 day USGA Rules Workshop, they give a 100 question examination at the end... 50% of the test is open book. They are not only testing your knowledge of the rules, but also your knowledge of the reference materials (The Rules of Golf and The Decisions on the Rules). My last workshop I got 80 out of 100... the class average was 76.

[sean_miller]

  Fourputt said:

17 of 18. Without looking anything up.

If you got 20 percent wrong, and 50% of the test was open book, that mean it must be a tough exam.

[Jay-Bird]

It's all "open book" on the course, problem is too many "golfers" have NEVER opened the book.