"The Principles Behind the Rules of Golf" by Richard S. Tufts

[Fourputt]

Even if you know the rules backwards, it often helps to understand why they are what they are. Tufts is the right tool for that. eg Why 2 stroke and 1 stroke penalties.

Also to connect the reasoning or logic behind how drop points are located and why the drop rules are structured as they are.  When you know why, it's almost possible to determine a drop area without even reading the rule.  There are many cases where the principle is bound to a rule in such a way that you can extrapolate from that rule to several others, and the general logic which is fundamental to the game becomes much more apparent.

[iacas]

Boy, that was a tough read... I've studied the rules of golf for a number of years now . I was hoping more from this book. Other than putting match play vs stroke play in perspective, I don't think I gained much. I can't imagine how bored the rules gurus must have been reading this thing...

On the contrary… Anyway, please limit this thread to discussing the content of the book, not whether you were bored reading it.

[turtleback]

Boy, that was a tough read... I've studied the rules of golf for a number of years now . I was hoping more from this book. Other than putting match play vs stroke play in perspective, I don't think I gained much. I can't imagine how bored the rules gurus must have been reading this thing...

Probably a good read for someone that has never studied the rules, but I just don't see the benefit for those that have already studied the rules of golf...

IMO, if you're a newbie and want a quick rundown of the rules you need to know the most, read this. If you are a serious golfer who already has a decent knowledge of the rules, skip this and just read the "Rules of Golf" and the subsequent decisions. You won't be missing much.

Maybe your expectations were at fault.  The purpose of the book is not to teach you about what the rules are, it is to teach you WHY the rules are what they are.

[slightlymad]

Can i buy this is shops in europe? seems kinda over the top to order from us fro 2dollars, anybody know this?

[Ignorant]

Can i buy this is shops in europe? seems kinda over the top to order from us fro 2dollars, anybody know this?

Have you tried Amazon in UK?

[slightlymad]

Yeah, i can only find a hardcover for 150 euros and above unfortunately.

[iacas]

Can i buy this is shops in europe? seems kinda over the top to order from us fro 2dollars, anybody know this?

Someone here may be happy to buy a copy and mail it to you. It would certainly cost you less than 150 euros!

[krupa]

So a question for the rules gurus here.

Do you think that a player who studied this book would be able to make the correct "rules" decision simply by considering and applying these principles?    I realize there will always be rare/strange circumstances that general principles do not cover, but hopefully those aren't encountered very often.

[Rulesman]

So a question for the rules gurus here.

Do you think that a player who studied this book would be able to make the correct "rules" decision simply by considering and applying these principles?    I realize there will always be rare/strange circumstances that general principles do not cover, but hopefully those aren't encountered very often.

No. This is not a rules book. It is designed to help understand the reasoning that gave rise to the rules. eg The process of determining npr and taking relief is not spelt out.

Of course, since Tufts wrote the book the details of the rules have changed many times

[MEfree]

Great idea for a thread.  I recommend that anytime a rule change is proposed, justification under these principles is a requirement.

Almost every current rule can be tied to one of the two most fundamental principles:

1)  That you play your ball from the tee and never touch it until you remove it from the hole, and...

2)  That you play the course as you find it.

That doesn't mean that the game should be played strictly under those conditions, only that the game adheres to those principles as closely as possible while still maintaining playability.

So a question for the rules gurus here.

Do you think that a player who studied this book would be able to make the correct "rules" decision simply by considering and applying these principles?    I realize there will always be rare/strange circumstances that general principles do not cover, but hopefully those aren't encountered very often.

That is a great question, but just looking at the 2 main principles that Fourputt provided, we can see the answer is NO (like Rulesman said).

1) Never touch your ball EXCEPT:

on the green, to mark and clean it (or off the green to mark but not clean it when it inteferes with another player's swing)

to identify your ball

when you take penalty free relief if it is in casual water, embedded, or interfered with by a cart path, sprinkler head, burrowing animal holes, etc.

when you take relief under penalty (hazard, unplayable lie, etc)

when your ball has been damaged

when lift, clean and place is allowed

other situations that I may be forgetting

2) Play the course as you find it EXCEPT:

loose impediments (that you can move without moving your ball)

ball marks on greens

cart paths

sprinkler heads

other immovable obstructions

burrowing animal holes (but no relief from animal tracks)

ground under repair

casual water

other abnormal ground conditions

when lift, clean and place is allowed

staked trees (under some local rules)

other situations that I may be forgetting

[iacas]

That is a great question, but just looking at the 2 main principles that Fourputt provided, we can see the answer is NO (like Rulesman said).

Do you own and have you read the booklet?

[MEfree]

Do you own and have you read the booklet?

No, but is my response wrong?  Do you think reading the book will lead the player to make the correct rules decision in all but rare/strange circumstances that general principles do not cover?  Rulesman doesn't think so and I agree with him (while admitting that I have neither read nor own the book).  If I owned and read the book, do you think my response would change?

[Rulesman]

So a question for the rules gurus here.

Do you think that a player who studied this book would be able to make the correct "rules" decision simply by considering and applying these principles?    I realize there will always be rare/strange circumstances that general principles do not cover, but hopefully those aren't encountered very often.

Tufts says

Frequent references to the Rules have been inserted in brackets in the text. What follows can be of little value to the reader unless he will
take the trouble to turn to his Rule book and read each reference carefully. There are several reasons why this is necessary.
First, the purpose of this work is to serve as a guide to the Rules and unless full use is made of the Rule references included in the text, the
reader will never be able to develop a firm association between the subjects under discussion and the various Rules to which they apply.

No effort has been made in the text to give a complete account of the operation of the various Rules under discussion. To have done so

would have been cumbersome.

Further, the Rule book covers the Rules as fully and explicitly as their operation and application can be described.
In any discussion of the Rules it is always better to refer to the Rules themselves. Even those who are confident of their familiarity with the
provisions of a particular Rule may be surprised as the discoveries they make when it is read carefully.

[mvmac]

No, but is my response wrong?  Do you think reading the book will lead the player to make the correct rules decision in all but rare/strange circumstances that general principles do not cover?

From the OP

"The Principles Behind the Rules of Golf" (by Richard S. Tufts, and updated for the 2012-2015 Rules by William J. Williams, Jr.) is a fine book that costs a whopping $2 from the USGA.

This thread exists for two purposes.

The first purpose is for the open discussion of the book, the principles explained therein, and so on.

The second is to serve as a request that certain members demonstrate proof that he has purchased and read this book before creating any new Rules of Golf discussion threads on this site. The URL to this thread will be PMed to members as a means of requesting this of them.

https://www.usga.org/PublicationStore/PubStoreProductDetails.aspx?id=21474853812

Edit: Exceptions may be made, but unless you've been granted one, you must own the book to participate in this thread.

[Rulesman]

Play the Course As You Find It

The reader will have noted that the final part of the first paragraph of Rule 13-2 provides several exceptions to the principle which the rule
establishes.

The character of the exceptions therefore serve only to strengthen the principle. Obviously if he is to make any progress the player must be
permitted to stand and hit his ball. It can therefore be said that fundamentally the Rules do not permit any departure from this principle.

In connection with the above quite positive assertion, it is necessary to recognize that the Rules do grant what at first may appear to
be certain additional exceptions to the principle of playing the course as you find it. However, all these added circumstances are not actually
exceptions to the principle; they are in the nature of granting relief from a part of the course not in proper condition (AGC) or from objects which are not a part of the course or which, if attached to the course, are not a proper part of it (IOs).

Put your ball in play at the start of the hole, play your own ball and do not touch it until you lift it from the hole

However it is obvious that there will be circumstances in golf when the player will be unable fairly to complete the play of the hole unless he
is granted some exceptions to the principle of advancing the ball without touching it.

It should be carefully noted that in all situations in which the player is permitted to touch his ball, it must always be put into play again no
nearer to the hole than the spot at which it came to rest. Thus the principle is carefully maintained that the player may not advance the ball toward the hole by any means other than the striking of the ball with a club.

[MEfree]

[COLOR=181818]Quote:[/COLOR]

Originally Posted by iacas [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/t/70205/the-principles-behind-the-rules-of-golf-by-richard-s-tufts#post_902385][IMG]http://thesandtrap.com/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG][/URL]   Edit: Exceptions may be made, but unless you've been granted one, you must own the book to participate in this thread.

Not sure if I ever saw Erik's edit and will abstain from this thread going forward.

[iacas]

Not sure if I ever saw Erik's edit and will abstain from this thread going forward.

The first post was last edited over a month ago, the day after the thread was created. So… It's sad that as many Rules threads as you create you won't spend $2 and the time to read the booklet.

[boogielicious]

The first post was last edited over a month ago, the day after the thread was created. So…

It's sad that as many Rules threads as you create you won't spend $2 and the time to read the booklet.

But if he actually read the book, he wouldn't get to blindly argue about the rules!  Where is the fun in that?