Separate Rule Books for Match Play and Stroke Play

[Asheville]

I wouldn't mind seeing separate Rule books for match play and stroke play. Put a blue cover on match play and a green cover on the stroke play version. Each might be a third shorter.

A valid criticism by those who don't know their way around the book is that it can be confusing. Separating them might be useful for some.

[Patch]

Two books (IMHO) would just make things worse. The biggest problem I see with today's golf rules is that folks just don't take the time to read and fully understand what they read. This includes amateurs, professionals, and to some extent the RO's who over see pro tournaments. 

I am not an expert on the rules by any stretch of one' s imagination, but I can find what I need, read, and understatand what I read. 

The USGA rules are just fine the way they are. 

 

[David in FL]

I don't know.  The majority (not all, I know) of the rules are the same, though a lot of penalties differ for the same infraction.  I think 2 separate rule books would make it harder to identify the common rules as well as the differences.  

I think I'd rather see a single rule book that we have now, but an addendum that clearly identifies the differences between the two forms of play.  That seems like it would be easier to understand and less cumbersome than two completely different books.

[Fourputt]

Actually, I kind of like the idea.  Since at least 95% of all play in the US is stroke play, players and officials would have a much simpler time finding and following procedures if all of the paragraphs specifically aimed at match play were moved to another book.  That way if the competition is a match you only have to worry about one relatively small booklet, for stroke one slightly larger one, but no worry about confusing rulings or procedures.

[WUTiger]

Both sets of rules get muddled when a tournament adopts "play ready golf" rules.

[iacas]

33 minutes ago, WUTiger said:

Both sets of rules get muddled when a tournament adopts "play ready golf" rules.

I don't see that. They can't (shouldn't) force people to play out of turn in match play, but it's done fairly frequently in stroke play, and carries no penalty unless it's done to give an advantage to a player.

[Dick Kusleika]

They could leave the rule book as it is, but publish a different version with all the match play stuff removed. That's the one I'd keep in my bag.