I’ve hit the wall but I’m not giving up on my R&A dream

In marathon running, they call it hitting the wall. I haven’t jogged more than half a mile for about 10 years but I’m feeling only empathy for those who take on an endurance mission. I’m on my fourth full reading of the Rules of Golf, have completed countless online quizzes and drilled my way through a mock exam. If I’m honest, I’m feeling the pace.

It’s left me wary about what will happen when I sit The R&A’s Level 2 rules exam next week.

So why do it? There are very good reasons to put myself through this short-term pain. I’m the guy at NCG who answers your rules queries and it was about time I stopped hiding in the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf and improved my knowledge.

I’m also the Rules Secretary at my club and people – very reasonably – kept asking me what to do in situations when they were out on the course.

Very often, my expression was as blank as theirs. Not ideal when you’re supposed to be able to find the answers.

With the help of The R&A, and Scottish Golf, I’m attempting to right those wrongs in St Andrews on March 13.

I’ve probably gone in a little hard headed and, for those interested in brushing up their rules knowledge, this is probably not how you should do it.

The preparation pack for the exam suggests tackling a rule a night. I’ve been doing at least three most days, and have been on that treadmill since the turn of the year.

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As part of that pack, you have the chance to do a mock exam. I sat there with a stopwatch and worked through the questions in the allotted two hours I’ll have when I pick up a pen for real at the Old Course Hotel.

It went better than I could ever have hoped. 93% would bag me a pass with distinction but I wonder now whether I peaked at that moment.

Maybe it’s nerves but I’ve noticed things that were lodged firmly in the brain a fortnight ago – like the difference between stroke play and match play when a ball on a putting surface hits another ball on the green – have dropped out of my immediate recall.

I still find myself in a state of near confusion when considering how to proceed on the rare occasions two balls are in play, and I’d like a calculator to figure out the times you can be given more than just the general penalty.

Perhaps it’s because my expectations have increased. Going into this process, I would have been happy just to pass. My progress has left me wanting more – and a dropped mark could make all the difference.

What it has done, though, is transform the way I see the game being played. I don’t mean I’ve become one of those people suddenly looking for infractions everywhere.

I now have a far better understanding of how to proceed under the Rules of Golf when I’m out on the course.

Whether that’s what to do in a bunker, or a penalty area, or when I’m eligible to take relief, the uncertainty that often gripped me during a competition has largely vanished. That will remain whether I pass or fail the exam next month.

Some people have asked me why this is important, insisting they just want to go and play without being flustered.

But to my mind, understanding the rules by which the game is played, and particularly when trying to protect the field in a competition, should be important to all of us.

However we compete, surely we want to do it fairly? And that’s why, whatever happens, I’m pleased to have spent the hours furthering my knowledge and diving into the wonderful world of the Rules of Golf.

See you on the other side.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or you can tweet me.