The Rules of the Green: A History of the Rules of Golf

The Rules of the Green is an intriguing account of the game of golf from its origins as a simple diversion for soldiers and common folk to its development into a game of kings and queens to its modern form as a game of great popularity. In 1744, a group of Scottish gentlemen compiled a list of thirteen articles to serve as the first rules of golf. Revisiting these original edicts, Chapman examines the circumstances behind the changes and additions that turned these thirteen articles into the Rules of Golf for today's game. Through careful examination of rare early documents and written and oral traditions, Chapman reveals how changes in the rules of golf have altered the game - and the surprising ways in which the game has stayed the same.

Sometimes draconian, regularly exasperating, often infuriating, but always--somehow--fair, the rules of golf are so clearly codified that even Hammurabi might have turned the color of an Augusta fairway in their presence. If bad golfers swear the rules punish them, their more circumspect counterparts understand that what the rules really do is carve order from chaos and lend a helping hand. How the rules of play exploded from 13 basic principles set down in 1744 by a group of Scottish gentlemen into the hundreds of maddening permutations and combinations teed up today actually makes for surprisingly fun and fascinating reading. A combination of history, anthropology, and psychology, with doses of mystery and gossip thrown in, Kenneth G. Chapman's breezy exploration turns what could have been arcane territory into an agreeable stroll on the links.