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Rules of Golf

1. You must Tee your Ball within a Club length of the Hole.

2. Your Tee must be upon the ground.

3. You are not to change the Ball which you strike off the Tee.

4. You are not to remove Stones, Bones, or any Break-club for the sake of playing your Ball, except upon the fair Green, and that only within a Club length of your Ball.

5. If your Ball come among Water, or any watery filth, you are at liberty to take out your Ball, and bringing it behind the hazard, and teeing it, you may play it with any club and allow your Adversary a stroke for so getting out your Ball.

6. If your Balls be found anywhere touching one another, you are to lift the first Ball till you play the last.

7. At holing, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and not play upon your Adversary's Ball, not lying in your way to the Hole.

8.If you should lose your Ball by its being taken up, or in any other way, you are to go back to the spot where you struck last, and drop another Ball, and allow your Adversary a stroke for your misfortune.

9. No man, at Holing his Ball, is to be allowed to mark to the Hole with his Club or anything else.

10. If a Ball be stop'd by any person, Horse, Dog, or anything else, the Ball so stop'd must be played where it lyes.

11. If you draw your Club in order to strike, and proceed as far in the stroke as to be bringing down your Club - if then your Club shall break in any way, it is to be accounted a stroke.

12. He whose Ball lyes farthest from the Hole is obliged to play first.

13. Neither Trench, Ditch, nor Dyke made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholars' holes, nor the Soldiers' lines, shall be accounted a Hazard, but the Ball is to be taken out, Teed, and played with any iron Club.

Gentleman Golfers of Leith 1744