Amazon.com Review
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.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
Product Description
This is an account of the way that the game of golf has developed from its origins as a simple diversion for soldiers and common folk, to its present status as an international professional sport. The first list of 13 articles constituting the official rules of golf was produced by a group of Scottish gentlemen in 1774. Since then the rules have seen many changes, although the game is still largely based on the same 13 articles. In this book the author examines how these changes came about and takes the reader step-by-step through the history and rules of the game.