THE LAW OF GOLF

The game of golf, like every other aspect of life, is often subject to the vagaries of law. As a golfer myself, I decided to make the connection between the game I love and the subject that I am pursuing. Well, I didn’t have to look far. Golf is a game filled with intricate rules and regulations. What is LAW? In general, a rule of being or of conduct, established by an authority able to enforce its will; a controlling regulation; the mode or order according to which an agent or a power acts. So the rules and regulations of the game is nothing but the Law of the game.Violating "the law" of golf can have serious consequences.

The rules are so seriously applied in this game that The United States Golf Association (U.S.G.A) and The Royal and Ancient Golf club of Saint Andrew (yes, it is a name of a club) write, interpret and revise the rules every 4 years!

The game of golf has rules ranging from the minutest detail of the size of the ball till the huge ones which result in disqualifications!.

Here’s an instance, the rule of golf state that, “You must play the ball as it lies” which in simple terms means that you cannot modify, or do something that affects the position of the ball in play except under certain circumstances. The penalty for not complying with this rule is “you’ll lose the hole in the case of match play or incur a two stroke penalty” (Trust me! That’s like the worst thing possible; it ruins your entire game)

The connection to law? In law of torts, there is a breach of a legal right. Let’s say without the breach an individual just like the golf ball remains in the same position. And as a liability a defendant faces a penalty or a suit for damages like a unsuspecting or intentional golfer penalized for negligence and breach of duty

Therefore, each rule of golf will have a way into the law of the land. 

That’s why they say “the golfer who follows all the rules of the game must be one hell of a lawyer”