THE rules of golf have changed a bit since they were first quilled on to a bit of parchment back in 1774. In those 13 original dos and don’ts, there were quaint mentions of horses and dogs, scholar’s holes and soldier’s lines but in the 243 years that have passed since those initial scribblings, things have got slightly more complex. With 34 rules, a number of appendices and 1200 decisions, it’s no wonder folk peer into the rule book with the same kind of dumbfoonert glaze you tend to adopt when trying to read The Phenomenology of the Spirit in one sitting.

Yesterday, the R&A and the USGA, the two governing bodies of the global game, unveiled proposals for a major overhaul of the golfing bible to make it smaller, simpler, more accessible and easier to apply while helping to speed up the pace of play. From 34 rules, the top brass are proposing 24. A six month consultation period, involving everybody from the world’s best to Agnes and Ronnie at Hollandbush, will now take place before, hopefully, the new regulations are chiselled into stone and brought in at the start of 2019.

“People were so intimidated by them (the rules) that they couldn’t even open the book and try to understand them,” said David Rickman, the Royal & Ancient’s director of rules. “When people did open the rulebook they still managed to be confused or get it wrong.”

Sound familiar?

Among a raft of revisions under consideration are reducing the search time for lost balls from five minutes to three, allowing players to repair spike marks on greens, allowing putting with the flag still in and letting players drop a ball from any height when taking relief rather than shoulder-height as currently stipulated.

“We really want to get the ball back into play more quickly and we wanted to move away from a procedural situation,” said Rickman of the drop situation which can often take several attempts to reach a satisfactory conclusion. The recommendation is at least one inch above the ground or grass.

In addition, the high heid yins are proposing that there would be no penalty for accidentally moving your ball or if your club touches the ground in a hazard. They also want to do away with the rather draconian, one shot punishment that stems from being hit by your own ball if, say, you are trying to extricate yourself from a bunker and the ba’ ricochets off the face and rattles your anguish-laden body.

A new law outlawing caddies from lining up players ahead of shots and putts, a teeth-grinding process that is particularly prevalent on the women’s tour, would be warmly welcomed by observers sick of watching this laborious palaver.

In many ways, the R&A and the USGA have adopted a common sense approach to a game which can often see unwitting, and relatively minor breaches, attract seemingly harsh penalties.

“I think golf’s emphasis on the rules can sometimes turn people away from it,” conceded Rory McIlroy upon hearing the proposals yesterday. “To modernize and make it simple is a good thing.”

While the rules are assessed every four years, this is the first fundamental review since 1984. It is a hugely significant moment for golf.