The Change Mariner

Rules of Golf Redefined

Guardian Unlimited

... David Rickman, the Rules Secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, said: "This is the biggest change in content and presentation of the rules for 20 years and, whilst the rules remain detailed and precise, we have clarified and simplified them where possible."

For the first time a player can be disqualifed for a serious breach of etiquette and there is a definition of what constitutes "the spirit of the game", a concept once taken for granted. It features words like "integrity", "consideration", "courtesy" and "sportsmanship".

The words of wisdom are also now available in 22 languages, from Arabic to SiSwati. Inevitably, things will be lost in the translation, which accounts for many misunderstandings. For instance, one ex-pat on the Costa del Sol confirmed that his copy of the "Reglas De Golf" had a section on "Etiqueta" but that there was "no section on how to count".

And, of course, the Swedes, by general consent the slowest players in the world, obviously have no quick way of explaining "pace of play".

Posted by Norm M. Wada at November 1, 2003 04:00 PM | TrackBack
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