RULES & HANDICAPPING
By Lorraine Thies ‘Dustin Johnson’ rule rings in New Year T
he entire golf world knows about the agonizing ruling made to Dustin Johnson at the 2016 U.S. Open held
at Oakmont Country Club. While playing the fourth hole during the final round, his ball moved on the putting green. When the rules official asked Dustin if he had done anything that could have caused the ball to move, he replied that he had not. As we all know, it was subsequently determined that his action most likely did cause the ball to move so he was assessed a penalty. Normally causing your ball to move and not replacing it results in a two-stroke penalty; however, since he was acting at the direction of the rules official, he was only assessed the one-stroke penalty for moving the ball. The USGA and the R&A have been
taking a hard look at the rules of golf and are making a serious attempt to modernize them over time. In light of what happened this past summer to Johnson, they made the decision to change this particular rule now. Beginning Jan. 1, the USGA and the
R&A adopted a local rule that eliminates the penalty when a ball is accidentally moved on the putting green. The rules affected are 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1. According to Thomas Pagel, USGA
senior director of Rules of Golf and amateur status, “Eliminating this penalty responds to the concerns we have heard from both golfers and committees about the difficulties in applying the current rules when a player accidentally causes a ball to move on the putting green. This change is a good example of the type of rules modernization changes we hope to implement after completing our fundamental review of all of the rules. We are looking for ways to improve the rules by making them easier to understand and apply.” So what does this change mean? If
your ball or ball marker accidentally moves on the putting green, the ball
34 | AZ GOLF Insider | PREVIEW 2017
Dustin Johnson explains how his ball moved to a USGA official during the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
or ball marker must be replaced with no penalty. This accidental movement applies on the putting green only and includes the player and his partner, opponent, caddie or equipment. Some examples of situations where there will no longer be a penalty for moving the ball on the putting green include: The player accidentally: 1. Moves the ball with his putter in preparation for making a stroke.
2. Drops his ball and it moves his ball marker.
3. Drops his ball marker and it hits his ball.
4. Accidentally kicks his ball. Until the Rules of Golf are rewritten
in 2020, if someone wants to use this local rule, it must be stated within the local rules. It is NOT automatic. If a committee wishes to use this local rule, the following wording is recommended: “Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1 are
modified as follows: When a player’s ball lies on the
putting green, there is no penalty if the ball or ball-marker is accidentally moved by the player, his partner, his opponent, or any of their caddies or equipment. The moved ball or ball-marker
must be replaced as provided in Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1. This Local Rule applies only
when the player’s ball or ball- marker lies on the putting green and any movement is accidental. Note: If it is determined that a
player’s ball on the putting green was moved as a result of wind, water or some other natural cause such as the effects of gravity, the ball must be played as it lies from its new location. A ball-marker moved in such circumstances is replaced.” n
For more information on this major change to the Rules of Golf contact the AGA office at (602) 944- 3035 or go to
www.usga.org and click on Rules/Rules Home.
www.azgolf.org
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