HRGolfGuide.com Golf’s Modernized Rules Released BY THE USGA


Major proposals introduced in 2017 that have been incorporated into the modernized Rules include:


Elimination or reduction of “ball


moved” penalties: There will be no pen- alty for accidentally moving a ball on the putting green or in searching for a ball; and a player will not be responsible for causing a ball to move unless it is “virtu- ally certain” that he or she did so.


Relaxed putting green rules: There will


LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland


The USGA and The R&A have un- veiled the new Rules of Golf, to be im- plemented January 1, 2019.


The USGA and The R&A finalized


golf’s new Rules this month after an ex- tensive review that included a request for feedback from the global golf com- munity on the proposed changes. Golfers can now access the official 2019 Rules of Golf by visiting RandA.org or usga. org/rules.


The process to modernize the Rules began in 2012 and was initiated to ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply for all golfers and to make the game more attractive and accessible for newcomers.


While the majority of proposed Rules


remain intact in the final version, several important changes to the initial proposals and further clarification of many Rules were incorporated. The most significant adjustments


Dropping procedure: When taking re-


lief (from an abnormal course condition or penalty area, for example), golfers will now drop from knee height. This will ensure consistency and simplicity in the dropping process while also pre- serving the randomness of the drop. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height).


Measuring in taking relief: The golf-


er’s relief area will be measured by us- ing the longest club in his/her bag (other than a putter) to measure one club-length or two club-lengths, depending on the situation, providing a consistent pro- cess for golfers to establish his/her relief area. (Key change: the proposed Rules


released in 2017 suggested a 20-inch or 80-inch standard measurement).


Removing the penalty for a double hit: The penalty stroke for accidentally strik- ing the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 retained the existing one-stroke penalty).


Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alterna- made following review


of the feedback received from golfers around the world include:


tive to Stroke and Distance: A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fair- way area), under a two-stroke penalty. It addresses concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Lo- cal Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions.(Key change: this is a new addition to support pace of play)


“We’re thankful for the golfers, ad- ministrators and everyone in the game who took the time to provide us with great insight and thoughtful feedback,” said Thomas Pagel, USGA Senior Di- rector of Rules & Amateur Status. “We couldn’t be more excited to introduce the new Rules ahead of the education pro- cess and their implementation.”


David Rickman, Executive Director – Governance at The R&A, said, “We are pleased to be introducing the new Rules of Golf after a collaborative and wide-ranging review process which has embraced the views of golfers, Rules ex- perts and administrators worldwide. We believe that the new Rules are more in tune with what golfers would like and are easier to understand and apply for every- one who enjoys playing this great game.”


be no penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits an unattended flag- stick in the hole; players may putt with- out having the flagstick attended or re- moved. Players may repair spike marks and other damage made by shoes, animal damage and other damage on the putting green and there is no penalty for merely touching the line of putt.


Relaxed rules for “penalty areas” (cur- rently called “water hazards”): Red- and yellow-marked penalty areas may cover areas of desert, jungle, lava rock, etc., in addition to areas of water; expanded use of red penalty areas where lateral relief is allowed; and there will be no penalty for moving loose impediments or touching the ground or water in a penalty area.


Relaxed bunker rules: There will be no penalty for moving loose impediments in a bunker or for generally touching the sand with a hand or club. A limited set of restrictions (such as not grounding the club right next to the ball) is kept to pre- serve the challenge of playing from the sand; however, an extra relief option is added for an unplayable ball in a bunker, allowing the ball to be played from out- side the bunker with a two-stroke penal- ty.


Relying on player integrity: A player’s “reasonable judgment” when estimating or measuring a spot, point, line, area or distance will be upheld, even if video evidence later shows it to be wrong; and elimination of announcement procedures when lifting a ball to identify it or to see if it is damaged.


Pace-of-play support: Reduced time


for searching for a lost ball (from five minutes to three); affirmative encour- agement of “ready golf” in stroke play; recommending that players take no more than 40 seconds to play a stroke and oth- er changes intended to help with pace of play.


Presented in digital, text-based form today, the new Rules will also now be


translated into more than 30 languages and readied for final delivery via print and digital formats, including searchable Rules of Golf official apps developed by the USGA and The R&A.


Three important publications, to be distributed this fall, will help players as well as officials and provide interpreta- tion and guidance in how the Rules are applied:


The Player’s Edition of the Rules of


Golf: An abridged, user-friendly set of the Rules with shorter sentences, com- monly used phrases, and diagrams. Writ- ten in the “second person,” The Player’s Edition is intended to be the primary publication for golfers.


The Rules of Golf: The full edition of the Rules will be written in the third per- son and include illustrations. It is intend- ed to be a more thorough version of the revised Rules.


The Official Guide to the Rules of


Golf: This “guidebook” replaces the De- cisions book and will contain informa- tion to best support committees and of- ficials. It includes interpretations on the Rules, committee procedures (available Local Rules and information on estab- lishing the terms of the competition), and the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities. It is a comprehensive resource document intended as a supple- mentary publication.


More than 30 “how-to-apply” videos and a summary of the principal chang- es are now available at usga.org/rules. Additional educational tools will be re- leased in September.


Players are reminded that the current edition of the Rules of Golf (2016) must be applied when playing, posting scores or competing for the remainder of 2018. The Rules of Amateur Status and the Rules of Equipment Standards were not part of this review process.


As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support The R&A and the USGA’s efforts to modern- ize golf’s Rules. The Swiss watchmak- er’s contribution to excellence in golf is based on a rich heritage stretching back more than 50 years, forged through piv- otal partnerships at every level of the game, from the sport’s leading profes- sional and amateur competitions and or- ganizations, to players at the pinnacle of their sport worldwide.


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