Rules & The Game
Rule changes, the ball rollback and the business of golf — what it means for you.
Two of the three autumn local rules aren't Rules of Golf at all — they're your club's call
Preferred lies, temporary greens and the plugged ball. Two of the three are decisions your club made rather than Rules of Golf, and almost nobody reads the card that tells them which.
By Tom Whitaker
Three drops club golfers get wrong every weekend, and two of them are costing you shots
Nobody in your fourball is cheating. They are guessing, and the guesses run in the same three directions: the wrong reference point in a penalty area, the forgotten option on an unplayable ball, and the nearest nice bit of grass instead of the nearest point of complete relief.
By Tom Whitaker
How to get a golf handicap (and why it's cheaper and easier than you think)
You no longer need a pricey club membership or a stack of medal cards. Here's the fastest route to an official Handicap Index in 2026 — and the everyday rounds that now count towards it.
By Dan Mercer
Is a rangefinder legal in competition? (The slope rule, simply)
Yes — usually — but one setting can disqualify you. The plain-English guide to using distance gear within the rules.
By Tom Whitaker
