Golf is a simple game.

Yet is has a rulebook as long as your arm.

Because golf is played over such a wide and irregular area, its rules need to cover every eventuality you could think off – and some you couldn’t.

What happens if my ball hits a seagull? What should I do if I break my driver in a fit if rage?

Can I take my shoes and socks of to play the ball in a stream?

These questions and more like them are answered in the 50-plus page booklet, the Rules of Golf.

They are controlled by the game’s governing body, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews in Scotland.

Most professionals carry a copy in their back pocket and after careful study have learnt to call it friend - a cunning golfer can use the rulebook to find ways out of trouble.

But for the rest of us to play and enjoy the game, you only need to read our basic guide by clicking aorund the sections above.

But if you want to read the full and official Rules of Golf, go to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club's official site.

:: R&A official Rules of Golf