R&A rolls out quick guide to Rules of Golf to ease newcomers into the game

The R&A has released a new ‘Quick Guide to the Rules of Golf’ video to help new golfers become familiar with the basics of the rules.

The video covers 16 key themes, including what to do before starting your round, understanding the different areas of the course, and how to proceed when you can’t play the ball as it lies.

The 13-minute video, which is voiced by golf commentators Iona Stephen and Kit Alexander, provides the essential information a golfer needs to get round a course and assumes the viewer has very little knowledge of the game or the Rules. The combination of video, diagram and verbal explanations are aimed at making the Rules easier to understand for on-course golfers.

Grant Moir, Executive Director of Governance at The R&A, said: “We want golfers at all levels to feel confident in playing by the Rules, particularly those who are new to the game. The Quick Guide video has been developed to provide easy-to-watch explanations of the most common situations golfers face on the course and to make the game more appealing and inclusive by showing that the basic Rules are actually very straightforward.”

The Quick Guide –which features short animations and footage from The Open and the AIG Women’s Open to explain the Rules – is aimed at the player transitioning from being a learner golfer to gaining a handicap, while also assisting more experienced golfers.

It has been produced with a voiceover with minimal text on the screen to make it easier for national associations to translate it and allow for the inclusion of subtitles. Subtitles are already available in 15 languages and will be accessible on the online and App versions of the video.

The release of the Quick Guide will further expand the resources available in the Official R&A Rules App which was revamped earlier this year. The Rules App provides more visual aids, diagrams and videos to explain the Rules and Scrum down for a Twickenham tee time!

The 82,000-seater stadium at Twickenham, the home of English rugby, is to host a new kind of golf experience this summer that combines elements of a range-style experience in the unique setting of one of sport’s most iconic stadiums.

Through a collaboration with US-based golf company Stadium Golf Tour and sports marketing agency Maverick Sports + Entertainment, a new tour has been created that gives golfers the chance to play in some of the most iconic stadia in the world, including now, the home of England Rugby.

The tour will take place throughout the summer and include five other sports venues. Twickenham will host upwards of 7,000 golfers when the tour arrives there between June 8-11. On those dates, the stadium will be transformed into a 9-hole golf course, however

Instead of just walking around the pitch, the nine tees will be situated on specially constructed platforms situated around the stadium bowl. Golfers will then hit shots onto greens situated on the pitch, with a self-scoring system from eagle to double bogey, depending on how close your ball lands to the hole. If a golfer’s tee shot doesn’t make it onto the pitch, the shot is scored as a triple-bogey. A shot that lands on the field, but not on the green, is a bogey. A shot that lands on the green is a par, and a shot that lands in the circle around the flag is a birdie. And, yes, there are cups for each hole, so a hole-in-one is possible.

Tickets are being sold indiviudally, but golfers will be bunbled into groups of eight at time. In addition to the 9-hole course, golfers will receive access to ‘The Clubhouse’ and booking options will offer access to golf simulators, a putting and chipping challenge, hitting platform and tours of the England changing rooms.

Michael Wiggins, president of the Stadium Golf Tour, said: “We wanted to kick off the UK tour by going to some amazing stadiums with great fan bases, so Twickenham Stadium is right on top of the list.”

The Stadium Golf Tour, whose first event took place Louisiana State University’s Tiger Stadium last month, has scheduled four other events in the UK in addition to Twickenham, with the UK leg, teeing off at Sheffield United’s Hillsborough stadium from May 25-28; Leicester City’s King Power stadium from June 1-4; Crystal Palace FC’s Selhurst Park stadium from June 15-18, West Ham’s London Stadium from October 12-15,

To buy tickets, which start at £90pp for 18 balls, visit www.stadiumgolftour.com.