Playing By The Rules

Book excerpt: It was a moment seen by millions on television. During play at the 2001 British Open Ian Woosnam playing his best golf in two years, entered the final round trailing by one shot when disaster struck. His caddie was forced to tell him that he had one too many clubs in his bag costing him a share of the lead and possibly the championship. And who could forget the infamous moment in the 1968 Masters Tournament when Roberto de Vincenzo, on his way to a play-off for the title, had to abdicate the lead when he discovered he had signed for a round higher than he had actually scored. How could both these unfortunate errors be illegal under the rules? Indeed they could, says golf legend Arnold Palmer, who throughout his distinguished career has taken part in a sizeable share of controversies. Despite the fact that golf has fewer rules than such sports as rugby or cricket, it is a contest of honour, and all players respect the rules. Palmer helps make sense of it all with easy-to-understand language and hundreds of pictures of some of the more controversial rulings, giving readers a visual recall of memorable moments involving Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, John Daly, even Palmer himself. If you're one of the millions who take to the course every year, need a clear explanation of the rules of the game you love, and don't want to be speechless when an argument over the 'coefficient of restitution' pops up, then PLAYING BY THE RULES will be an invaluable guide you'll refer to time and again.