Never get caught out on the course again – have the Rules of Golf in the palm of your hand

Who wants to be fumbling around their golf bag when they need a quick answer?

We’ve all found ourselves in a spot on the course where we’ve needed an answer to a Rules query. None of our playing partners can help and it’s a busy day with groups piled up all over the course.

With The R&A no longer printing copies of the Players’ Edition of the Rules in their 2023 update, as they focus on sustainability, they have put a huge effort into updating their Rules of Golf App and it’s going to save you time on the course if you ever find yourselves straining for an answer.

Whether it’s reading through the new procedure for taking back-on-the-line relief, or checking out a short animated video on how to take embedded ball relief, the App has been revamped and redefined with regular golfers in mind.

So what’s new?

– The Player’s Rule Finder: You can swiftly find the answers to the most common circumstances that arise. Bring up the map and click on the part of the course where you are. Whether it’s ‘When is a ball in a penalty area?’ or ‘Loose impediments’, the most searched for teams are laid about before you and selecting one then explains in simple and easy to use text what to do. Relevant diagrams and videos also help you understand what you need to know on the course.

– The ‘Learn’ section: A new ‘Watch Videos’ section includes more than 20 animated shorts which are intended to help you get to grips with the most frequently used rules. You can test your knowledges in updated quizzes with difficulty levels ranging from beginner to advanced.

For those whose Rules knowledge is a bit more advanced, you will be able to access the full Rules at the touch of a button as well as quickly find all the Definitions, Clarifications, Committee Procedures and Rules of Amateur Status.

A news section will also keep you in touch with what’s going on with The R&A’s Rules team, as well as explaining some of the more interesting rules situations that appear on the various tours, and the ability to receive push notifications will mean you’re always up to date.

Claire Hargan, The R&A’s assistant director of Rules, said: “We are encouraging golfers to download the Rules of Golf App so that they can benefit from use of its visual aids, including diagrams and videos.

“In addition, the Player’s Rule Finder feature in the App is specifically aimed at regular golfers as it gives a summary of each Rule to help them learn the basics.

“We believe this is a more intuitive approach and allows modern technology to help golfers play by the Rules of Golf in a more sustainable manner.”

The Rules of Golf App, which can be downloaded from The R&A’s website, as well as the Apple and Google Play stores, is currently available in 17 languages with more to be added throughout the year.

Have you used The R&A’s Rules of Golf App? What do you think of it? Let me know how it’s helped you on course with a tweet.