Are the Rules of Golf getting too complex?
Recent incidents, such as Michelle Wie’s rules infraction at her professional golf debut, are starting to make me think that the Rules of Golf are becoming over engineered in today’s game.
I am also wondering if the “pursuit of truth” is getting out of control in golf and having an impact on this. As evidenced in Wie’s case, someone other than a player, tournament or rules official reported her infraction after the fact. So nowadays, everyone is a rules expert.
Has the constant exposure in recent years driven the Rules Committee to put too much detail into the rule book. A lot of professional golfers won’t make a decision on the course today without calling in a rules official.
Isn’t golf supposed to be about honor and honesty? I have yet to witness or hear about a professional player deliberately breaking a rule in order to win. In fact, the pro golfers that I’ve seen report themselves when they broke a rule did so knowing that they faced disqualification.
Maybe it’s time to simplify the rules of golf back to where it started. Do you know the background? In 1744 13 simple rules of golf were developed by a group of golfers. Only 341 words were need to document these 13 rules. Today’s rule book is 126 pages long and has 26,000 words covering 34 rules broken into 122 sections and 106 subsections. Sounds complicated to me. Maybe the rules of golf have just plain gone nuts! (Oops there’s that word again.)
Do you have any documentation of these 13 rules?
I have always been a 10-commandments sort of golfer, versus the lawyerly type whose best club is the rulebook, so I am in favor of your proposition and wish to assist you however I can.
Posted by: Dave at December 21, 2005 12:09 AMGolf is a golf of honor. You only need more rules when golfers start breaking the honor code. More thieves, more locks. More cheaters, more rules.
I say play the game and play it like it was intended and we won't need 126 pages.
Frank
Posted by: Frank at January 26, 2006 06:31 PMAmen! It is a lot more fun to play when the game seems simple and you don't feel like you have to analyze every step you take in this frustrating game we all love.
Posted by: Matt at February 22, 2006 11:47 PMOn sunday at the FBR open in Scottsdale AR.I'm
not sure Aaron Baddeley replaced his ball at the
original spot. He moved his mark to get it out of
another players line. On TV we did not see him
remark his ball at the original location.
Posted by: Andrew Garamella at February 8, 2007 10:20 PMAndrew,
I did not see this or read about it in the golf news. I would be surprised with as much coverage of the golf tournaments that we have these days that it would not be reported and covered multiple times if he really remarked it at a different location.
But he could have, but if he did, I would go back to one of my original comments. I have not seen a professional golfer deliberately do something like this. I would guess that, if he did it, it was unintentional.
Just my 2 cents.
The Golf Nut
Posted by: The Golf Nut at February 12, 2007 06:44 AMYep, I've been playing for over 30 years and I when I read a rule book I think, "What the ?@$& is this about?". I think I know the reason though. It is to enable Clubs to make a few quid extra over the bar by having the occasional Rules Quiz evening.
Basically the rules of the game are obvious 99% of the time. When that 1% of the time does happen, the answer is always in the spirit of fair play.
The effect of making the rule book so complicated actually creates a situation where people think that rules exist even when they don't. Did you know that it is not against the rules to walk on your opponent's line? Again, because it's not in the spirit of fair play we don't do it.
So: Common Sense + Fair Play = Rules of Golf
Posted by: Ian at January 6, 2008 12:50 PM
