The Rules of Golf
The Rules of Golf are standardised procedures in which the game of golf should be played.
A central principle, although not one of the numbered rules, is found on the R&A rule book's cover:
Play the ball as it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you can’t do either, do what is fair. But to do what is fair, you need to know the Rules of Golf
The Rules of Golf (book)
The Rules of Golf and the Rules of Amateur Status is a booklet jointly published by the governing bodies of golf (R&A/USGA) to define how the game is to be played fairly. The rules committee of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) has responsibility for upkeep and application of the rules worldwide except in the United States and Mexico, which are the responsibility of the United States Golf Association (USGA). The current rules booklet, the 30th edition, is valid from 1 January 2004 to the end of 2007, or as otherwise withdrawn by the committee.
The rules can also refer to other rules affecting a player. These can either be amendments to the Rules of Golf or completely new articles such as;
Decisions on the Rules of Golf, a book published irregularly by the USGA and R&A to clarify questions and queries raised by the main rules.
Local rules set by the committee of a golf club, for example to define the areas that are out of bounds. Rules of etiquette, covered by the main book, define the proper behaviour of those playing the game. Special rules for a competition, for example as set out by the championship committee for The Open Championship Rules governing the size, shape and performance of golf equipment (clubs and balls) as defined by the R&A/USGA
Rules governing golfers with disabilities play the game by following A Modification of the Rules of Golf for Golfers with Disabilities as published by the R&A
Note that while the USGA define the rules of the handicap system, the R&A take no part in this instead allowing the national bodies to define and operate their own rules.
The R&A is a private golf club run for the benefit of its members. As such, since 2004 it has passed responsibility of publishing the rules to a private company, R&A Rules Ltd, operating under the stewardship of the R&A.