The Rules of Golf and the RCGA

As the governing body of golf the RCGA holds the exclusive right to publish and distribute the Rules of Golf in Canada. The Rules are updated every four years through the work of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Scotland and the United States Golf Association. A joint committee of these associations, on which the Rules Chairman of the RCGA sits, is charged with revising, modernizing and improving the Rules of Golf and the Decisions on the Rules of Golf. These two documents form the complete Rules of Golf that are used universally throughout the world of golf.

In addition to publishing the Rules, the RCGA has created a national Rules Education Program that leads to national certification as a Rules Official. The program description is contained on the Rules Education page on this website. You will also find links to the lists of conforming clubs and balls that are used by all associations and updated monthly by the USGA.

For clubs or committees in charge of competitions, the Conditions of Competition and Standard Local Rules that the RCGA implements at all RCGA championships is posted for your reference. In addition, a list of local rules that should be considered is available on the Local Rules page of this website.

Finally, if you are unable to find an answer to your Rules question by refering to the Rules of Golf book or the Decisions on the Rules of Golf, you can submit your question directly to the RCGA by using the Ask the Expert link above.