View source for Decisions on the Rules of Golf 2010 - 2011 by Royal and Ancient

{{infobox1
|title=Decisions on the Rules of Golf 2010 - 2011
|author=Royal and Ancient
|reviewer=Peter Magee
|genre=Sport
|summary=The accumulated wisdom of the Royal and Ancient and the USPGA on those situations not explicitly covered in the rules of golf makes for surprisingly interesting reading and is recommended even for the casual golfer.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=752
|publisher=Hamlyn
|date=November 2009
|isbn=978-0600620457
|cover=060062045X
|aznuk=060062045X
|aznus=060062045X
}}

The rules of golf are complex, but designed so that they give no unfair advantages or disadvantages to any players across the full range of abilities.  Followed faithfully and honestly they should ensure a fair and comfortable game for all.  But times have changed and there are always situations which are not explicitly covered by the rules.   The Royal and Ancient receives over three thousand written requests for clarification each year  – and these are not frivolous requests since they will only be considered if they are submitted by a representative of the committee in charge of the particular competition. 'Decisions on the Rules of Golf' is the accumulated wisdom on situations which might be considered ambiguous.

So, how does it stack up?  Firstly – there's a lot in there.  The index runs to 131 pages of closely-typed text, under headings as diverse as ''unplayable ball, high in tree'' as well as ''snake, burrowing animal, reptile or bird (and holes made by them)''.  Just chance you're worried, the situation of ''ball near rattlesnake'' and ''status of snake'' are also covered.  This is obviously a game for the brave.  Just reading through the index makes for good browsing , shows the extent of the coverage and is almost certain to provoke discussion.

The explanations are clear too, in a question and answer format.  Some quite complex situations are explained in terms that the layman can understand with diagrams to illustrate the point where appropriate.  Even experienced players don't always '' know'' the rules and even selective browsing in this book will throw light in unexpected areas.  You might be thinking that this would be a superb book to have in the Secretary's office, but on the contrary the average club golfer will get a lot of enjoyment from looking through the book.  You might not want to carry it around in your golf bag, but you'll appreciate having it at home.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

For more good golf reading we can recommend [[Moment of Glory: The Year Tiger Lost His Swing and Underdogs Ruled the Majors by John Feinstein]] not least because it barely mentions Tiger's private life and [[The R&A Golfer's Handbook by Renton Laidlaw]] – a big book which covers everything from the rules to the personalities.

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