Best way to learn the rules

[TheCaddie]

What is the best way to learn all the rules of golf?

Becoming a member and playing with more experienced players? Reading the R&A manual from head to toe?

I have a good overall understanding of the very basics, but even scoring against a perceived handicap and things like that I have no clue about really.....

 

[pbrown7582]

Rules and scoring in different formats are slightly different things.
To learn the rules some pretty dour bedtime reading, the rule book and decisions.
To learn scoring I think it's best to at comps and find friendly playing partners to help you along the way or score a card gross and work out different scores with someone who does know.

 

[Banzai]

there is a quiz function on the R&A website that is very helpful and "fun" way to start on the rules - http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/Rules-Quiz.aspx


fun in the loosest possible sense of the word obviously

 

[TheCaddie]

But the common consensus is that I just need to sit there and read through them.....

 

[North Mimms]

One of the best way to learn a golf rule is to accidentally break it (playing with someone who knows the rules).
The subsequent penalty makes the rule stick in your head.

Reading the actual R&A Rule book is a good cure for insomnia!

 

[bladeplayer]

GM mag has a rules section every month thats easy to follow ...

If you can get the R&A rules in action dvd it shows clips to explain , easy watch & it makes sense because you see it in action ...

 

[cookelad]

Experience is the best way to learn the rules for me, getting into situations and having the rule book/app handy!

 

[duncan mackie]

But the common consensus is that I just need to sit there and read through them.....

I don't do consensus.....

Best way is to get the R&A quick guide to the rules and read that through which will give you a perspective on the rules as well as the basics associated with common situations. It's only a few pages.

After that the important thing is to work through any issues that crop up when you play using the online version of the rules (the USGA version is the best for this IMO) which will gradually provide you with the most important lesson - how to take a real life situation and find the relevant rule!

Or you can endlessly read the rules and decisions cover to cover over and over again

 

[ManinBlack]

Read through the rule book and become aware of the situations likely to occur requiring the application of a rule. You may not remember the exact rule but you'll know that one applies & can then look it up. You should always have a copy of the rules in your bag. It's how I deal with Photoshop & Microsoft Excel. I might not know how to do something but I know it can be done & refer to the manual to remind myself how.

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

I was given a really good book a few years ago (so out of date now mostly) but it talked through, tee to green, and explained the various rules along the way. Was called something like "golf rules explained" or something like that

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Best thread on here is the rules thread, learnt loads and always interesting to see different answers until the correct one is agreed.

 

[Slab]

Best way is to go see the local pro for a lesso.... ok maybe not

Some of the rules threads bore the pants off me while others have me enthralled... ok maybe a bit far there!

For me the easiest way to learning a rule I think is first to step back and actually understand what the rule/s are there for & who they are aimed at and why its written the way it is, its too easy to interpret something that isn't actually open to interpretation if you were to step though it with the right mindset

As we know this isn't a rule book for a referee or umpire to apply or enforce, this is for the players to manage their own score & protect the rest of the field, but its complicated and written as if we are all referees (because we do need to be when we're playing) and any player decision making is limited to whether to apply the rule or not and not what the rule might be trying to say if we were to try to interpret our own thought process to it

 

[North Mimms]

You can't learn all the rules, but a good place to start is to understand HOW to find the relevant rule.
Reading the defintions helps a lot, so that when you read a rule you can understand the difference between "the ball" and "a ball" for instance. Also it's not "the pin" or "flag" but the "flagstick".
If you know how to use the rule book efficiently, it will serve you well.

I spent ages trying to search the online rules, trying to find out what the options were for playing amidst all the goose poo that covers my course ay certain times. After using lots of search terms, some polite, some vulgar, I discovered that the R&A term is "dung"

At the very minimum, I think every player should know - without having to consult - everything covered in Quick guide. That, and knowing Rule 3-3 , should give you a base to build on.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Make sure you get fitted for the rules, don't just pick up any book off the shelf

 

[SVB]

Several ways:

1) Look at the R&A Rules 'quick guide' - (Not mini rules book, that will bore you to death and probably will not stick without application anyway)

2) Go on R&A website and do their on-line rules course (FoC if you don't want a certificate!)

3) Play with better players and ask questions (but accept they will not always be right).

4) There are some good youtube clips on common rules / mistakes that provided are from a reputable source are normally ok if you are a more visual learner.

5) Rules thread here (only really need to read Q and first couple of replies - ignore the following 30 or so different ways to say the same thing or split hairs that follow for 99.99% of situations ).

Simon

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Lots of options available but nothing beats experience. Once you break one and get penalised you'll not forget it

 

[MadAdey]

First things first, do not take another's golfers word as gospel when it comes to the rules. We had thread a while ago regarding the mythical rules of golf that people believe to be true. Just because someone has a scratch handicap and been playing for 20 years it doesn't mean they know what they are talking about.

Start off by learning the basic rules that you will need on a regular basis like what to do when your ball is in a hazard, taking relief from unplayable lies, taking relief from staked trees GUR and cart paths. These are situations that you will come across on a regular basis and you'd be amazed how many people get these situations wrong.

 

[bladeplayer]

Remembered at last .. do a google search for Barry Rhodes ..

 

[Liverbirdie]

Buy this:-

As they say a picture can paint a thousand words. I have the older one, but it really helps.

Also subscribe to Barry Rhodes, as Bladeplayer says:-

http://www.barryrhodes.com/

Subscribe (free) and every week or two you get cracking illustrations and he talks you through the rules brilliantly, and you can read them at your leisure.

 

[louise_a]

Don't always assume that an experienced player knows the rules, it is often not the case.