In 1744, the Company of Gentlemen Golfers was established in Edinburgh and then codified the first rules of play. They’ve been evolving ever since. The official USGA rules, plus decisions, covers over five hundred pages. So, no brief article can cover every facet. The following is highly simplified.

In general, the idea is to hit your own golf ball the fewest number of times in order to reach a hole that starts a couple of hundred yards distant. Remember, the rules may not always be fair, but like your parents’ rules — they’re rigid.

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