The Game of Golf

by Willie Parker

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1896. Not illustrated. ... CHAPTER XI THE LAWS OF GOLF The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews are generally recognised to be the lawgivers of the game, and the St. Andrews Rules are invariably adopted by other clubs. It is somewhat unfortunate, however, that the rules which they have framed are not sufficiently comprehensive, nor are they apparently intended to be applicable to all links on which golf is played; and it would almost seem as if they were drawn up with reference to St. Andrews Links alone. The result of this is, that while these rules are adopted by other clubs, they frequently require modification to suit local requirements, and it cannot therefore be said that the code of laws as it stands is always of general application. The only other club which has framed a set of rules for itself is the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club; but I am not aware that their rules are adopted by another club in preference to the St. Andrews code, and such a proceeding would in Scotland be deemed little short of sacrilege. As a matter of fact, while both codes have their good and bad points, I recommend the adoption of the St. Andrews Rules, subject to such addi 214 tional local rules as may be necessary. This on the ground that they are invariably accepted, and it is desirable that all clubs should, as far as practicable, play under the same Rules. The Wimbledon Rules, however, will be found printed after the St. Andrews Rules, so that the two codes can easily be compared. A table showing the points of difference between them is also given. One can hardly take up a sporting newspaper which devotes a column to golf without being astonished by seeing the number of inquiries on the subject of the rules; and with the view of making them more easily understood by those who have not had the advanta...

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Gerald Matzke]

This book is considered a classic by the golfing community. It is one of the first books of instruction and introduction to the game of golf. For an experienced golfer, there is nothing much new in this book but it's charm comes from the fact that it was written in 1896. It is interesting to see how the game has changed since then. Rules have been modified and equipment has changed drastically but the basics are still the same. Even some of the mental side of golf is discussed and Willie Park had a good understanding of how a golfer might respond to pressure and unfortunate mistakes. Also of interest to the experienced golfer is the terminology that the author uses. Did you know that a miss hit shot was referred to as a foozle? He also uses the old names for clubs like mashie and cleek. I would not recommend this for a beginner because many outdated elements would be very confusing. This, however is a great book for the experienced golfer to get an appreciation for the history of the game we love.