For many of us the Rules of Golf are a minefield - a cross between local government jargon and computer gobbledegook.
John Paramor, the European Tour's chief referee, once told me: "If you know the Definitions in the Rule book, the rest is straight forward."
Easier said than done, John.
A colleague of mine once set about writing a series on simplifying the Rules with words and illustrations but constantly came up against the R&A, who, when asked to check his copy, inserted amendments which seemed pedantic at the time.
But the Rule-makers at St Andrews have now been dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st century and admitted that their legislation, some of which harks back to the 1800s, could do with being polished into more modern, understandable language.
Now the basic 34 Rules of Golf, complete with endless sub-paragraphs and adendums, have been re-written. The new edition of the Rules of Golf is the most revised for 20 years. Each one of the 34 rules that govern play has been amended, with the emphasis on making them easier to understand for all golfers.
The Rules of Golf, now in its 30th edition, is published as a unified code every four years by the R&A and the US Golf Association. The
new edition, sponsored by Rolex, can be downloaded from the Rules section of this website.
Commenting on the changes, which are effective from January 1, 2004, R&A Rules Secretary David Rickman said: "In an essentially self-regulating sport, players need the rules readily available and as simple to understand as we can make them. The latest revision benefits from expert linguistic advice and players will see more plain language in the new pocket sized book.
"While the rules remain detailed and precise (available in 22 languages including Arabic, Chinese and Icelandic), we have clarified and simplified them where possible".
Major changes include an expanded Etiquette section, with the ultimate sanction of disqualification for a serious breach; the dropping of Rule 18-2c covering the removal of loose impediments and a new ruling on club length and clubhead size, designed to draw a line in the sand for future technology developments.
Companion publications to the R&A Rules of Golf, Decisions on the Rules of Golf 2004-2005 and Golf Rules Illustrated 2004 are published next month by Hamlyn and are available priced £14.99.
