RULES By Logan Rasmussen

RULES OF GOLF RULES OF GOLF

The Evolution of the Rules of Golf

WORDS BY LOGAN RASMUSSEN

Prior to 2019 players dropped a ball back into play from shoulder height

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

RULES OF GOLF

As the Rules of Golf continue to evolve, with the USGA and R&A providing updates every four years, we will continue to see changes throughout the game that we know and love. ”

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The earliest known Rules of Golf were written in 1744! Even though these Rules (which at the time were known as the “Articles & Laws in Playing at Golf”) were drastically different, they still fundamentally describe the same sport that is played around the world today. As the Rules of Golf continue to evolve, with the USGA and R&A providing updates every four years, we will continue to see changes throughout the game that we know and love.

Typically, these updates will be minor after the complete overhaul to the Rules in 2019 to a more “player-friendly” version.

With the Arizona Golf Association closing in on 100 years, let’s take a journey and look at how the Rules have changed since the beginning of the AGA.

One of the more notable changes over the years is the procedure for putting a ball back into play. Whether you are taking an Unplayable Ball or taking relief from an Immovable Obstruction, exactly how to drop a ball back into play has changed.

This “original” process pre-dates the AGA, in the 1908 version of the Rules, to get a ball back into play golfers would drop the ball over their shoulder. The Rule stated, “The player shall face the hole, stand erect, and drop the ball behind him over his shoulder. If, in the act of dropping, the ball touch the player, he shall incur no penalty, and, if it roll into a hazard, the player may re-drop the ball without penalty.” This dropping procedure placed a large emphasis on “randomization” as you weren’t able to precisely drop the ball on the exact condition you would like.

This procedure lasted for 76 years! Then in 1984 we moved into a place where we were at least able to see where we were dropping by putting a ball back in play with are arm extended straight out.

Beginning in 2019 we removed even more of the randomness and now drop our ball from knee height. This coincided with the requirement to keep the ball in the permitted dropping area and remove the necessity of many re-drops experienced in the past.

A player dropping their ball into play from knee height, the new dropping procedure since 2019.