Golf Rules Plain & Simple [Paperback]

Mark Russell (Author), John Andrisani (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1999

"The game's big lie is that the rules of golf are simple. The actual fact is that they are complex and confusing, which is why millions of earnest amateurs unwittingly violate them every time they play. PGA Tour official Mark Russell is one of golf's best at making complicated rules decisions clear and understandable to the best players in the world, and now he's presenting his common sense approach in plain drawings and plainer English. If you want to truly understand the rules and confidently play by them, read this book."
-- Jaime Diaz, Sport Illustrated

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As befitting a royal and ancient game, golf's rules are complicated and often confusing. On the PGA Tour, players have tournament officials to help keep them on their toes. Those not fortunate enough to be on the Tour are left to the mercy of the official Rules of Golf--a fine book, but somewhat bogged down in legalese. To remedy this situation, veteran golf writer John Andrisani teamed up with PGA Tour tournament official Mark Russell to create Golf Rules Plain and Simple--a plain-spoken guide to dealing with 37 common rule violations. Some of the rules seem too strict for the weekend duffer (are you really going to penalize your opponent two strokes for asking you what club you used?), but committed golfers will want to abide by them anyway. After all, golf is a game of honor. With its compact size and durable covers, Golf Rules Plain and Simple is the perfect addition to any golf bag. --Sunny Delaney

About the Author

Mark Russell is a former golf teacher and director of golf at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Since 1983, Russell has been a rules official for the PGA TOUR.

John Andrisani is a former editor of Golf Magazine and author of several best-selling books with the world's top PGA TOUR players and golf instructors.

Jeff Blanton is a freelance photographer whose work has appeared in popular golf magazines and books by renowned golf professionals and teachers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1st edition (September 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006273668X
• ISBN-13: 978-0062736680
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 3.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for the golf bag!, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Golf Rules Plain & Simple (Paperback)

Mark Russell has taken something that not many golfers know anything about, the rules, and made them simple to understand. In the common situations Russell uses, he shows you exactly where you can find it in the rule book. After reading Golf Rules Plain and Simple, I consider myself more knowledgeable of the rules. This book is a must for your golf bag.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all, January 10, 2002

By 

Larry M. Coleman (Avon, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golf Rules Plain & Simple (Paperback)

Though the rules of golf are not as difficult as they are often said to be, they can nevertheless be arcane at times, but this book does a good job demystifying them. Knowing the rules can save you strokes, as you can sometimes use them to your advantage. In a format small enough to fit in a golf bag but with print big enough to read easily, common situations are presented, then common mistakes in this situation are shown, followed by the correct way to play. To help even further, one or more pictures accompany each of the 37 situations. All this, along with a modest price, combine to make this an excellent purchase for the golfer without the patience to read the official rulebook.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Depends On Your Need, May 10, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Golf Rules Plain & Simple (Paperback)

Pretty well done. Golf Rules Plain & Simple is a book that I hope only gets better with future editions.

With that in mind, I offer some suggestions that the author or other readers may want to comment on.

Some suggestions:

While there is a footnote that gives the author's opinion as to the more important rules, he doesn't use them to order his book. Rule #1 (for example) is about seeking advice on golf club selection - and of his five key rule situations - the first one drags in at Rule Number 18. Also, it would seem to be much more helpful to put yellow and red staked hazards on adjoining pages for the reader to compare and contrast.

After stating each rule situation, the author gives the most common mistake made (first) before giving the correct procedure. This is not helpful and potentially confusing. When telling someone how to do something - do you want to start with the wrong way or right way? Nothing wrong with pointing out the common errors - just put it at the end.

Some more could have been expected as to the top issues. For example, how to come to agreement with others as to where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard. Things to say to an opponent could make this a lot less trying in match play, for example.

To the author, page 67 talks about a provisional ball played for a ball that you think is lost in a water hazard. Agreed. But the more common argument is when it is unclear. Where is your explaination in the book that if you don't see it land (and stay) in a water hazard - the ball is assumed to be lost? Another point that your book appears deaf on - what happens (for example) if you are playing a match and hit a ball towards the woods bordering the fairway. You don't have any indication that it is a hazard (it looks like normal woods from the tee) - you announce your intention to hit a provisional ball as you may have a lost ball. You and your opponent both agree as to where the ball seemed to drop down. You find your ball but those nice woods actually turns out to be a red stake marked lateral hazard. You have a shot to the green (without penalty) that you would like to try. Your opponent says no. He says, "you can't use the provisional ball rule when a ball lands in a hazard. Lack of knowledge of the hazard's existance offers no help. You need to play your second ball (i.e. no longer provisional)as it is the live ball" (in other words, no five options for a lateral hazard). Is he correct?

Finally, while you give the five options for a lateral hazard correctly, a note that "playing it as it lies" also means no grounding of the club (while covered elsewhere) would be a helpful reminder here.

Hope these suggestions help.