History

Golf is a game played worldwide by 61.1 million people. As such, there must be internationally recognized governing bodies to set standards and regulations. Currently, the United States Golf Association (USGA) has jurisdiction over the United States and Mexico, while the Royal and Ancient Club of St. Andrews (R&A) determines the rules everywhere else. The two groups, although in charge of separate areas, work together to constantly refine and improve the rules of golf, typically in response to technological advancements that might change the nature of the game. There are now 34 rules of golf, governing such things as how the game is played, the types of balls and clubs that are legal, how scoring is conducted, and so on.

In the old days, there was no general cooperation among the many golf clubs in Scotland. Each had their own unique rules that were all just a little bit different. This made it difficult for traveling golfers accustomed to different rules to compete together on unfamiliar courses. Eventually, disputes between golfers arising from such differences caused the various golf clubs to request the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews to create a single set of rules. The honor was given to the R&A Club because almost all Scots recognize St. Andrews as the birthplace of golf.

The first written rules of golf were dictated by the Honorable Company of Golfers of Edinburgh Golfers for the Annual Challenge for the Edinburgh Silver Cup in 1744 . These thirteen rules were adopted ten years later by the R&A, and would eventually become the accepted rules for all British golfers in 1899. Even the USGA would publish a set of rules in 1900 based on those set by the R&A. However, the two agencies operated separately, creating minor fluctuations between the two sets of accepted rules. It wasn’t until 1951 when the two would meet to cooperatively produce a uniform code of rules.

The Original Rules of Golf (click to read)

United States Golf Association

One of the primary concerns of the USGA is to continually test equipment for conformity to the Rules. In its verbose statement of principles defending its purpose the USGA states: “In a historical context, the game has seen progressive developments in the clubs and balls available to golfers who, through almost six centuries, have sought to improve their playing performance and enjoyment. While generally welcoming this progress, The USGA and the R&A will remain vigilant when considering equipment Rules. The purpose of the Rules is to protect golf's best traditions, to prevent an over-reliance on technological advances rather than skill, and to ensure that skill is the dominant element of success throughout the game.”

To this extent, the USGA opened its Research and Test Center in 1984, solely devoted to evaluating the nearly 3,000 equipment submissions each year, around 900 for golf balls and more than 2,000 for other equipment such as clubs, gloves, tees, etc.

As part of its golf ball testing routine, the USGA requires a golf ball manufacturer to submit two dozen balls. These balls are precisely measured for their weight and size. They are then hit with a mechanical golfer (a machine simulating the perfect golf swing) into a 70-foot long tunnel known as the Indoor Test Range (ITR). This device measures the aerodynamics of the golf ball before it is caught in a net at the end of the tunnel. A sophisticated computer program processes the captured information in order to accurately calculate the distance and velocity the ball would have traveled at. All of this is conducted in a climate-controlled laboratory to ensure that conditions such as temperature and humidity are always the same for each test.

Golf ball manufacturers regular submit their balls to this arduous process because only golf balls that have been approved by the USGA are allowed during competitions.