Rules of Golf in layman's terms.

[cnl390]

Is there a Rules of Golf for Dummies book?  I would like to carry a rules book with me when I play, but frankly I think we would spend more time trying  to find and interpret a rule than actually playing.

I just play for the fun of it with the same group of friends, but we do have rules questions from time to time.

[NM Golf]

I carry my phone with the USGA Rules of Golf app on it. Not written for "dummies", but it does have a search feature which makes it user friendly.

[Patch]

Yeah, an easy to find, read, and understand short version of the rules of golf couldn't hurt. 

I keep a quick reference of a few rules in my notebook. It comes in handy.sometimes. 

A buudy of mind was going to put together aa quick, rules guide for golfers. Thought he would make a few bucks off of it. Just a small, pocket size book. He ran into too much red tape when researching how to publish, and copyright it . He gave up on it. This was about 20 years ago iirc. 

[Rulesman]

1 hour ago, cnl390 said:

Is there a Rules of Golf for Dummies book?  I would like to carry a rules book with me when I play, but frankly I think we would spend more time trying  to find and interpret a rule than actually playing.

I just play for the fun of it with the same group of friends, but we do have rules questions from time to time.

It may not be worth getting anything for the time being. The Rules are all changing in 2019. But I reckon the USGA will have a brief guide out by then.

But there is this

https://www.usgapublications.com/products/a-quick-guide-to-the-rules-of-golf?variant=25702056198

It may be worth looking at the 2019 rules though, as you will have no preconceived ideas

https://www.usgapublications.com/products/the-players-edition-of-the-rules-of-golf?variant=12581304270928

Edited August 28, 2018 by Rulesman

[DeadMan]

24 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

I carry my phone with the USGA Rules of Golf app on it. Not written for "dummies", but it does have a search feature which makes it user friendly.

It also automatically links words that have definitions in the rules, so you can just click on the link instead of rifling through your rules book to find the definition. I strongly recommend having it on your phone.

[Missouri Swede]

5 hours ago, cnl390 said:

Is there a Rules of Golf for Dummies book?

[Club Rat]

As a simple brief explanation - all penalties involved during the attempt or when a stroke of the ball occurs ( 1 stroke ) relief of any manner.
When any breach of a rule occurs, IE - wrong ball, touching anything in a hazard, ( 2 strokes )

Understanding Free Relief situations, ball at rest in GUR, on Cart Path, etc.

[jlbos83]

The danger in any "rules for dummies" type of book is that anything that is not the rules, is by definition incorrect.  The official rules app on your phone can be searched pretty easily, and the sections give you a good idea of where you need to look.  In my opinion, the rules that you need to play a round of golf are not that complicated.  There are some differences between stroke play and match play.

All of that said, most of the rules for relief just help you.  You can almost always play it where it lies, and you can always take a penalty stroke and go back to where you last played.  You could just do that and be right almost all the time,

[Dinola]

The USGA freely offers a wonderful read that is might help called:

The Principles Behind the Rules of Golf by Richard Tufts.

The title is self explanatory and it offers the beautiful philosophy of the game from which the rules start to make sense.

If you understand the underlying principles, you can pretty much deduce the rules themselves.  Its well worth reading in and of itself, as it lends a sense of depth and purpose to this excruciating  game. 

[Rulesman]

Remember - it all changes in 2019.

eg Flagstick may be left in hole when putting. 2 stroke/loss of hole penalties converted to 1 stroke. Ball hitting equipment. Double hits. Accidental movement of ball ................

[boogielicious]

3 hours ago, Dinola said:

The USGA freely offers a wonderful read that is might help called:

The Principles Behind the Rules of Golf by Richard Tufts.

The title is self explanatory and it offers the beautiful philosophy of the game from which the rules start to make sense.

If you understand the underlying principles, you can pretty much deduce the rules themselves.  Its well worth reading in and of itself, as it lends a sense of depth and purpose to this excruciating  game. 

This is a favorite book for many on this forum who want to understand the evolution of the rules.