DEBATE
Yes
The Rules of Golf will always be complicated. It’s unavoidable given the extraordinary number of circumstances that can, and do, arise. But that’s not to say it isn’t desirable for the Rules to be more straightforward. The R&A and USGA work very hard, constantly reviewing them and considering ways to improve them and make them easier to understand and more practical. In other words, they’re always seeking ways to make the Rules less complicated. If golf’s governing bodies believe it’s worth striving for the Rules to be simplified where possible, ergo, they’re too complicated.
The Rules are certainly a complicated prospect for those starting out. Where would you begin if you had no idea on any of the procedures and decided to teach yourself without any guidance? It would be hugely daunting. The first Rules, or the ‘13 Articles’ as laid out by the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith in 1744, take about four minutes to read in full.
Some of those original rules are a touch outdated, but the basic principles are not too dissimilar to what you might jot down for a beginner as the guidelines for modern play. Surely The R&A could produce a modern, simplified version for beginners – ten or 20 Rules to get you started? Admittedly, when a new golfer got to a point where they were playing competitively, they would have to move on to the main Rules. By that time, though, The R&A and USGA will hopefully have released their latest revisions to make those Rules a little easier to understand… because… they’re too complicated.
We put the same question to our X followers...
No
It’s very easy for people to say the Rules of Golf are too complicated, and in some ways it is, of course, understandable, for they are long in order to cover all manner of potential scenarios from the ev
