Why Do The Rules of Golf Seem So Complicated?

In this story and the accompanying video, Jeremy Ellwood and Neil Tappin discuss some of the reasons why the Rules of Golf seem so complicated

Why Do The Rules of Golf Seem So Complicated?

It’s a fairly common complaint among golfers that the Rules of Golf seem so complicated. And it’s an understandable sentiment. Even after the major revisions to the Rules in January 2019, the Player’s Edition of the Rule Book still extends to 160 pages.

Even though that’s a lot shorter than its predecessor, and the number of Rules has been condensed down from 33 to 24, that’s still quite a lot to digest.

So why does it have to be this way?

Well, the first thing to say is that, in many sports the court or pitch is a pretty standard size. But golf is played on a vast arena extending over many acres. The nature of the terrain and everything on it varies enormously from one course to the next.

You may encounter mown grass, thick rough, bushes, trees, woodland, bunkers, paths, roads, lakes, rivers, buildings, irrigation boxes… the list could go on.

Fair for all

The Rules of Golf have to effectively address countless ‘What if?’ scenarios. And they must detail procedures so that everyone playing in a competition is playing by the same code, and some are not gaining an advantage by proceeding in a more advantageous way.

In order for you to be able to complete your round, the Rules have to find ways for you to proceed when you can’t find your ball. Or perhaps you can find it, but it’s physically impossible or dangerous to attempt to play it.

For example, you hit your ball miles offline and don’t know whether or not you will find it, or if it will be playable if you do. What do you do?

First and foremost, many of us know that it’s wise to play a provisional ball to avoid a potentially long walk back if you can’t find it. But the Rules have to clarify how you go about doing that. What is the penalty if you have to use that provisional ball, when may you go on playing the provisional ball until and so on?

If you do find it, but it’s unplayable, perhaps even irretrievable, what then? What does unplayable actually mean and how do you proceed with your round?

Many golfers will know that you have three options for an unplayable ball – two club-lengths, going back on line as far as you like or going back to where you last played from.

So many questions...

But what is the procedure? Where do you drop? How do you drop? What if the ball rolls outside where you are permitted to drop? What if you can see the original ball but can’t physically retrieve it? What is the penalty for proceeding under any of these options?

One simple but fairly typical scenario, and at least half a dozen questions, probably more. They all need to be addressed to ensure that you proceed in the same way as other golfers facing a similar scenario.

When you factor in the host of other things that can, and do, happen out on the golf course (e.g ball lying underwater in a penalty area or right up against a building), it perhaps helps to explain why the Rules of Golf seem so complicated.

They have to have an answer for whatever happens out on the course to allow you to complete your round and be fair to the whole field competing.