Rules of Golf Education

England Golf and The R&A offer three levels of rules education.

At each stage, there is the opportunity to sit an exam which is recognised nationally by England Golf and throughout The R&A's jurisdiction.

These seminars are tailored to provide basic instruction for those newer to the sport, as well as meeting the demands of more experienced referees  looking for tournament specific guidance. There are three levels:

R&A LEVEL 1 (ONLINE RULES ACADEMY)

A focus on the Player's Edition of the Rules of Golf, this one-day seminar is available online as the Rules Academy, please click here.

It covers the most common Rules situations and leads to the official R&A Level 1 exam.

R&A Level 2 Rules Seminars 

This consists of a two-and-a-half day seminar conducted by a a county or region, in conjunction with England Golf.

The seminar looks at the more important playing Rules in detail.

If you are interested in attending a Level 2 Rules Seminar, please email secretary@dcgu.org.uk for further details.

R&A Level 3 Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar (TARS)

This three-day seminar is conducted by The R&A. It is held annually, usually in February in St Andrews, and it is The R&As leading seminar. All R&A affiliates are invited to send a maximum of two delegates, with additional TARS courses held around the world to meet demand. The purpose is to give guidance and practical advice on running tournaments and refereeing, including sessions on course set-up, course marking, pace of play, suspension of play and starting and recording. 

At each stage of the Rules Education process, there is the opportunity to sit an appropriate exam. Ideally, delegates should successfully complete each stage before progressing to the next level, attaining and building a comprehensive Rules knowledge. It is also vital that practical experience is obtained to become an effective exponent on the Rules, refereeing and running competitions.

ENGLAND GOLF RULES AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME

England Golf are pleased to announce the launch of the Club Rules Ambassador programme, aiming to improve the way the Rules of Golf are applied at club level.

For only £50, clubs can put a member of staff or committee forward to attend a seminar, where they will become equipped with the skills and knowledge to:

• Deliver Rules sessions for their members.
• Answer Rules queries from members and resolve Rules issues in club competitions.
• Mark the course appropriately.
• Write Local Rules and Terms of the Competition with accuracy.
• Take pace of play management strategies back to their club.
• After the seminar, your club will have access to England Golf’s guidance document on running competitions.

To become your club’s England Golf Club Rules Ambassador, the delegate must attend a seminar and pass the online R&A Level 1 Rules Exam (which can be taken an infinite number of times) with 90% or above. The delegate will become part of a community of Club Rules Ambassadors, receiving our guidance document on Rules education and regular updates around the Rules of Golf.

Your selected delegate should be the person most likely to be able to fulfil the roles outlined above – this could be the Club Manager, Competitions Secretary, PGA Professional or any other staff/committee member.

Clubs can register a delegate for any of the seminars by clicking here – it doesn’t need to be the closest one to you if the date doesn’t work!