Using the Rules Publications
The Rules of Golf is a copyrighted work of the United States Golf Association. This work is property that the USGA takes great care in protecting and as such, may not be used as the basis of any third party work without our permission. If it is, then such use may constitute copyright infringement. If you would like to use the Rules of Golf, please submit a completed USGA Rules Of Golf Proposal Review Form to the USGA at Golf House, P.O. Box 708, Far Hills, NJ 07931, Attention: Manager, Rules Inquiries. Prior to evaluating your proposal, the USGA must receive a signed copy of the Review Form along with a non-refundable review fee. Receipt of the Review Form will be acknowledged, and at that time we will provide an initial indication of when a decision may be made concerning your proposal. Please be advised, however, that if you elect to submit the Review Form, the USGA will be under no obligation to grant the approval which you would be requesting.
The USGA does not permit The Rules of Golf to be used on third party Web sites. However, if you would like to provide a link on your Web site to www.usga.org where users can access The Rules of Golf, the USGA will consider your request. Please click here to review the USGA's linking policy .
Officially Licensed Rules of Golf ProductsÂ
The USGA currently has 5 officially licensed Rules of Golf products. These are the only products that are entitled to carry the official "USGA Licensee" tagline. The following is a list of the USGA Licensees and their products:
- Common Golf Rules for Match Play and Stroke Play from Flexagon Guides, International, Phone (678) 393-1905
- Golf Rules Illustrated - 2008 Edition from Octopus Publishing Group Ltd. (Hamlyn), www.sterlingpub.com
- On the Green, Leather-bound golfer's journal from Graphic Image, www.graphicimage.com
- The Rules of Golf 2010-2011, Leather-bound Edition from Graphic Image, www.graphicimage.com
- Shortcut to Golf Rules 2010-2011, from Shortcut Books LLC, www.shortcutbooks.com
For information about ordering any of these products, please click here to visit the USGA Publications Store. The USGA Publications Store offers the above Rules products, in addition to a variety of other Rules, handicapping, etiquette, turfgrass and championship publications, software, videos and DVDs.
Non-Licensed Publications And Products That Use the Rules of Golf
As indicated above, The Rules of Golf may not be used as the basis of any third party work without our permission. The USGA is committed to educating the public about The Rules of Golf, however it is not able to grant every Rules of Golf licensing request it receives. The USGA will not object to the use of The Rules of Golf in certain publications and/or products, provided such publications and/or products incorporate The Rules of Golf in a constructive manner and provided further that such publications and/or products are verified by a USGA-approved Rules of Golf Official, subject to a mandatory fee. Any such publication/product must contain language clearly indicating that it does not carry the official approval of the USGA.
If you would like to be considered for this option, please submit to the USGA a completed USGA Rules Of Golf Proposal Review Form to Golf House, P.O. Box 708, Far Hills, N.J. 07931 Attention: Manager, Rules Inquiries. Prior to reviewing your proposal, the USGA must receive a signed copy of the Review Form along with a non-refundable review fee. When completing this form, please indicate that you would like to have your publication or product verified by a Rules of Golf Official, and include a sample of your proposed publication or product. If the publication or product is suitable for this option, the USGA will send you information about the process, including a list of USGA-approved Rules of Golf Officials.
The USGA reserves the right to object to any use of the Rules of Golf in an accurate or appropriate manner, in its sole discretion.