Anlässlich des Turniers in Leith Links um den von der Stadt Edinburgh gespendeten Silbernen Golfschläger im Jahre 1744 entwarf eine Gruppe von ehrenwerten Golfern aus Edinburgh die ersten 13 Golfregeln.
Der Arzt und Golf Champion John Rattray gewann dieses Turnier am 2. April 1744 und wurde daraufhin zum Captain of the Golf ernannt. John Rattray ist damit der erste Gewinner von offenen Golfmeisterschaften überhaupt.

Anlässlich dieses denkwürdigen Tages - es handelte sich um das erste Golfevent in der Geschichte dieses Sportes - wurde in Leith Links dieser Gedenkstein aufgestellt.

Die Tatsache, daß die Stadt Edinburgh den Silbernen Golfschäger als Preis gespendet hat, dürfte darauf zurückzuführen sein, daß im Jahre 170ü für ein Turnier der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Bogenschützen ein Silberner Pfeil als Preis gespendet worden war.

The first set of rules of golf
Articles & Laws in Playing at Golf
  1. You must Tee your Ball within a Club's 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's length of your Ball.
  5. If your Ball comes among watter, or any wattery filth, you are at liberty to take out your Ball & 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 any where touching one another, You are to lift the first Ball, till you play the last.
  7. At Holling, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and not to play upon your Adversarys Ball, not lying in your way to the Hole.
  8. If you should lose your Ball, by it's being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the Spot, where you struck last, & drop another Ball, And allow your adversary a Stroke for the misfortune.
  9. No man at Holling his Ball, is to be allowed, to mark his way to the Hole with his Club, or anything else.
  10. If a Ball be stoppd by any Person, Horse, Dog or anything else, The Ball so stopd must be playd where it lyes.
  11. If you draw your Club in Order to Strike, & proceed so 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 or Dyke, made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholar's Holes, or the Soldier's Lines, Shall be accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out teed /and playd with any Iron Club.
John Rattray, Capt

For centuries, the rules were thought lost but, in 1937, they were re-discovered by Mr CB Clapcott, on the last two pages of the Honourable Company's Minute Book.

The pages contained the original thirteen Articles and the signature of John Rattray, the first winner and who became Captain of the Golf 1744-1747 and 1751.