Some History of the "Rules of Golf"

By Tom Beeler

We do know that sometime during the 1400s the Scots were playing some sort of game that resembled golf because in 1457, King James II of Scotland issued this decree. “Ye fut bawe and ye golf utterly cryt done and not usyt” meaning “football and golf be utterly condemned and stopped.” King James was upset because his soldiers were playing these games instead of practicing their archery which was needed for his country’s defense. This way of thinking continued, in 1491 the grandson, King James IV decreed, “in na place of the realme be usit fut bawis, gouff or uthir ‘sic’ unpriffitable sports” (you can try translating that yourself).

The “Rules of Golf” have always strived to help players of all skill levels play a fair round of golf. In most cases the “Rules of Golf” will help the player find the most equitable way to proceed should he/she find their ball in such a position that it is difficult or impossible to advance it. The “Rules of Gouff” were not a written code then and probably would not have helped the first lady golf very much. Mary the Queen of Scots was seen playing “gouff” only a few days after the murder of her husband, Lord Danley, in 1567. It didn’t help that her reputation was less than spotless because of her “dalliance” with the Earl of Bothwell, according to a deposition filed against her in December 1568. The pious Scots thought that she should still be “in mourning” not whacking a ball around the fields of Seton. Mary the Queen of Scots “gouffing” career was cut short when she lost the all-important relationship between her head and her shoulders in the early part of 1569.

The first written “Rule of Golf” is traced back to The Hounourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers whose historical home was the Leith Links. Here in 1744, the original rules of golf were drawn up. The course had five holes with each of the holes being over 400 yards in length. It is believed that these rules were drawn up for a tournament that was to be held there. There were 13 rules in this “code”, but it was more like 12 rules and a “local rule”. This written “code” would be become the basis for the “Rules of Golf”. It is important to note that most clubs had their own “code” but this is the first that could be found that was in written form. Each club played by their own rules and most of the rules were more like a list of local rules for that club. It is apparent that most players didn’t travel from club to club playing in events.

By 1850, there were twenty-three golf clubs or societies in Scotland and two in England, social clubs that had roots in the political clubs of Charles II in the 1670s all organized for the leisure activity for the patrons of those clubs. By the mid 1800s, some patrons were members of two or more of these clubs and there started to be a need for a more unified “code”. Most clubs adopted the appended code of the Hounourable Company that they made in 1758 with changes that worked for their clubs. The Edinburgh Golfers revised their rules again in 1775, 1809 and 1839. At the same time the St. Andrew’s codes were adapted in 1812, 1829, and 1842. By the time the St. Andrew’s code was last adopted it had become the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and was on it way to becoming the leading authority on matters as they related to rules. Some of the first British Opens were played with the codes from the clubs where the events were played. It wasn’t until the R&A adopted the first truly universal code of rules on 26 September 1899, that golfers in all clubs on all courses in all parts of the world observed the same rules.

The USGA adopted the R&A rules when it first organized in the United States and continued to do so for many years. During that time there were many instances of non-agreement including the croquet mallet as a putter, the Schenectady putter used by Walter Travis that he used to win the British Amateur at Sandwich in 1904, the size of the golf ball and the use of steel shafts a few decades later. It wasn’t until 1951 that the R&A and the USGA presented a uniform code that is now the “Rules of Golf”.

The two governing bodies, the R&A and USGA have representatives from their respective associations meet every two years to discuss the rules and changes that might or should be implemented according to what has happened in the world of golf during the previous two years. The decisions that they make are usually found in the book the Decisions on The Rules of Golf. We should all be glad that these meetings take place for they continue to strive to make the game fair for everyone that plays.

Those first rules from 1744 pale in comparison to the “Rules of Golf” as they are written today. The 1744 rules were a just about three hundred words, plus that local rule of forty words. How things have changed if you look at the thousands of words used in the Rule Book and the Decisions on The Rules of Golf. But all of those words seek to clarify and explain how to move your ball around the golf course and stay within the “Rules of Golf”. When you first open the Rules Books they seem rather daunting. But once you have spent some time reading and trying to understand the rules the easier the game becomes.

**Historical facts used in this article were taken from The Rules of the Green by Kenneth G. Chapman

Tom Beeler is a Class “A” Member of the PGA of America and the Tri-State PGA. Tom has officiated hundreds of events ranging from events at the Club level, Playing Ability Tests for aspiring professionals and Monday Qualifying events for the Nationwide and PGA Tours. If you have a Rules of Golf question for Tom, you can send it to him at tjbgolfent@pga.com 1-800-762-3677 or visit them at www.kpga.com