Keep It Fun, Keep It Moving: The Official Rules of Golf, the Casual Rules That Make the Game Better, and How to Play Faster

By Rhonda Goodson, host of Live It. Love It. Play Golf. A LinksCoach Golf book.

Golf is supposed to be fun.

Somewhere between the first tee and the eighteenth green, a lot of golfers lose that feeling. The group behind is waiting, the ball is buried in a bunker, and someone is quoting a rule they half remember.

Keep It Fun, Keep It Moving fixes that. Every page takes one real situation from the course and gives you two answers: the Official Rule, explained in plain English with the rule number so you can look it up, and the Fun Rule, a fair casual alternative that keeps your group smiling and moving.

Inside you'll find

• 56 everyday situations, from lost balls and cart paths to bunkers, penalty areas, and short putts
• Good news badges marking rules that are already on your side
• When to play it by the book for tournaments, leagues, and posted handicap scores
• Pace-of-play tips that can save your group ten minutes or more every round
• First-Timer and Junior Rules for brand new players
• A Quick Reference Card for your bag
• QR codes on every page linking to the matching episode of Live It. Love It. Play Golf.

Sample page: The Lost Ball (Rule 18.2)

The Official Rule: If your ball is lost, you take stroke and distance: one penalty stroke, and you play again from where you hit the last shot.

The Fun Rule: If the group agrees it landed in play, like the fairway or light rough, and it just cannot be found, drop where everyone thinks it is. No penalty. If nobody saw where it went, use the Lost Ball Drop: add two penalty strokes and drop near where it was lost, or on the edge of the fairway level with that spot, no closer to the hole.

Buy the digital edition for $7.99, or get it free with Golfer Premium

The digital edition is $7.99 plus applicable sales tax (the paperback will be $11.99 on Amazon), and paid Golfer Premium members get it at no extra cost, read in the app or as a personalized PDF. See Premium plans. Stuck on a ruling? Ask the Golf Rules Caddie, with Competitive Play and Casual Play modes.

About the author

Rhonda Goodson is the founder of LinksCoach Golf, a Dallas-Fort Worth golf coaching and playing-partner marketplace, and the host of Live It. Love It. Play Golf. She is also the driving force behind the Live it. Love it. Play it. Golf Foundation, Kids Growing Through Golf.

Common questions

Is this the official Rules of Golf?

No. Every official rule is explained in plain English with its rule number from the 2023 Rules of Golf, which stay in effect through 2027. The Fun Rules are casual alternatives for friendly rounds. The book is an independent guide, not affiliated with the USGA or The R&A.

Can I use the Fun Rules when I post a score for my handicap?

Not most of them. Mulligans, free drops, and rolled lies only count when your course has adopted them as official Local Rules. Picking up is fine: record your most likely score, and net double bogey is your maximum on any hole. Each page tells you when to play it by the book.

Who is the book for?

New golfers, juniors, casual groups, and anyone who wants rounds to move faster. It also includes a First-Timer and Junior Rules section and a Quick Reference Card for your bag.

How do I buy the digital edition?

Sign in to your free LinksCoach account and tap Buy the Digital Edition for $7.99 plus applicable sales tax. After checkout it appears in My Golf, where you can read it in the app or download a personalized PDF. It is yours to keep.

How do I get it free with Golfer Premium?

Paid Golfer Premium members get the digital edition at no extra cost. Read it in My Golf, or download a personalized PDF. It is yours to keep, even if you cancel.

Based on the 2023 Rules of Golf, in effect through 2027. An independent guide, not affiliated with the USGA or The R&A.