The Rules of the Green: A History of the Rules of Golf

Sometimes draconian, regularly exasperating, often infuriating, but always--somehow--fair, the rules of golf are so clearly codified that even Hammurabi might have turned the color of an Augusta fairway in their presence. If bad golfers swear the rules punish them, their more circumspect counterparts understand that what the rules really do is carve order from chaos and lend a helping hand. How the rules of play exploded from 13 basic principles set down in 1744 by a group of Scottish gentlemen into the hundreds of maddening permutations and combinations teed up today actually makes for surprisingly fun and fascinating reading. A combination of history, anthropology, and psychology, with doses of mystery and gossip thrown in, Kenneth G. Chapman's breezy exploration turns what could have been arcane territory into an agreeable stroll on the links.