Having a better understanding of the rules of golf helps all players during general play and tournament play. It makes the experience more enjoyable for the players, and those they are playing with; by ensuring they are likely to know how to proceed when they find themselves in an unusual situation. (We have all been there!) It also helps speed up pace of play as time is not lost debating about “what to do” when help is not readily available and may also save you some strokes too!
Knowing the basic rules of any game you are playing is always beneficial. Golf is no exception. We encourage you to check out the resources below to help you with your knowledge and understanding of the rules of golf and to take the level one R&A exam to test what you’ve learned.
Rules Resources worth checking out include:
- RandA.org/rules/rules-education website – R and A is responsible for rules in Canada (previously known as Royal & Ancient). They have paired with the US Golf Association to coordinate rules throughout the world.
- Golf Canada App (Apple and Android) Once loaded onto your cell phone, you can click on the “Rules of Golf” tab (A great resource during a round to quickly look up a rule or a solution to the issue you are dealing with. You can also access the “learn” area which provides short quizzes and weekly challenges to test your knowledge.)
- RandA App (Apple and Android) This is the same rules information as the Golf Canada App.
- 2025 Rules Quick Reference – this quick reference guide is useful to have in your golf bag to use when you want to know your options about a rule.
- 2025 Guide to Match Play – this guide provides a summary of the rules for Match Play
Want to improve your knowledge of the Rules:
The R & A Level 1 Rules of Golf course is a free, 2 – 3 hour online program available directly through the R & A Rules Academy website. It consists of 9 interactive modules covering the most common rules which come into play during a round of golf. It is a fun and easy way to learn the basic rules of golf. There are a lot of diagrams, videos and practice questions along the way. Upon completion participants can take an exam to receive a Level One certificate. (Not required but a fun option to test what has been learned). If you want to jump right to the level one exam it can be found at R & A Rules Academy website.
Want more than Level One Knowledge?
If you are interested in achieving a Provincial level two or a National level three Golf Canada Rules certification, please contact your Zone 5 Rules Chair debbiezonerules@gmail.com for more information.