As Revised By The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews In l891 With Rulings and Interpretations by the Executive Committee of The United States Golf Association.

Preface

At a meeting of the executive committee of the United States Golf Association, held at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club at Southampton, Long Island, July 18, 1896, it was voted:

"That Mr. C. B. Macdonald and Mr. Laurence Curtis be appointed a special committee to interpret the rules of golf and to present their report for action at the annual meeting."

Owing to the unexpected amount of labor and investigation required, the committee were unable to make their report until June 10, 1897, when the following codification of rules and rulings was duly presented to the executive committee and by them ratified and ordered to be promulgated and published as the law of the United States Golf Association.

The special committee have made no change in the words of the rules as they stand in the code of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, revised in 1891; but they have appended to said rules the ruling's of the United States Golf Association, based upon the results of many decisions of committees or experts, or upon customs which have obtained in the best clubs in Scotland and England.

They hereby acknowledge with thanks, assistance and advice received from the following authorities: The editor of "Golf," and Messrs. Horace G. Hutchinson, Harold H. Hilton, Leslie Balfour-Melville, W. T. Linskill, H. J. Whigham and others.

There will doubtless be found many points not covered in this work. Such are mostly those which should be made the subjects of local rules, or such as may be considered to belong to the etiquette of golf.

Such would be questions as to:

Dropping a ball at the edge of a hazard where it is impracticable to drop it behind the hazard. (Rule 19 and Medal Rule 8.)

Outsiders looking for a lost ball. (Rule 37.)

Unplayable balls (Rule 38), or mud adhering to a ball.

Discontinuing play on account of sudden severe storms, or for taking refreshments. (Rule 11, Medal Play.)

Lifting balls lying on putting greens other than the one played to.

Casual water through the fair green.

Boundaries, walls, fences, gates, rabbit holes, gopher holes, direction flags, etc.

Strict definition of hazards on the course.

Liability of players to suffer the full penalty when their caddies commit a breach of any rule.

Restraint upon single players practicing on the course.

Right of parties with caddies to pass parties without caddies, or a single to pass a foursome.

Slow or inexperienced players blocking the course.

Stringent rules for keeping scores in competitions.

Charles Blair Macdonald. Laurence Curtis.