24rulesthatwillchangethelandscapeofgolf
ByMissyJones•@missyjonjones
March1,2017
Theworldisaflutterwithall
therulesmodernizationtalk
anditisaprettyexcitingtime
tobearulesofficialduringthis
timeofchange.Bigstuff.It’sa
littlescarytorealizethatallof
thememorizeddefinitions,
rulesandsubsectionsIhave
rattlingaroundinmyheadwill
needtobeunlearnedand
reformattedinmybrainbutin
theendthesechangesare
goingtobereallyhelpfulto
newplayersandthosetrying
todigesttheRulesofGolffor
thefirsttime.
Evenwithanumberofchanges
fromhowthingsarecurrently
done,thebasictenetsoftheruleshavenotchanged.Playthecourseasyoufindit,
don’tpickuptheballifyoucanhelpitandtheassumptionthatgolfersactwithhonesty
andintegrity.Ifyouunderstandthat,itmakesallthisotherstuffmakemoresense.
Ofallthechanges,theonethatwillhavethebiggestvisualimpactonthegamewillbe
thenewprocedureorrather,non-procedure,fordroppingaballtogetitbackinplay.
Wheneverwearerelocatingtheballtosomewhereelse,whetherunderfreereliefor
underpenalty,therewillnolongerbearequireddroppingmethod–youdon’thaveto
holdyourarmextendedatshoulderheight.Anyheightwillbeallowed,evenaninchis
okay-youjusthavetomakesuretheballisn’ttouchinganygrowingthing,artificialor
naturalobjectwhenyouletitgo.Ithastofallthroughtheairforsomeamountoftime
beforehittingthegroundoranythingelse,albeitthisamountoftimecanbea
millisecond.It’sasclosetoplacingaswecangetwhilestillretaininganelementof
randomnesstotheresultinglie.Itkeepsplayersfromfluffingtheballuponatuftof
grass,bysoftlysettingitthere.Italsotakesawaythecomplainingwhendroppingina
bunkerandgettingapluggedlie.Thisishugebecauseitgetsridofthetwodropand
placething.Ifitrollsoutofthereliefarea,you’llhavetofindsomewhereinyourrelief
areatodropwhereitwillcometorestcorrectlywithinthatarea.
Alongwithgettingridofthedropprocedure,theproposedareainwhichwehaveto
drophaschangedtoo.Reliefwillbe20”fromnearestpointofcompleterelieffor“free”
drops(cartpaths,groundunderrepairetc.)and80”forpenaltydrops(ballunplayable,
penaltyareadropsetc–oh,andpenaltyareasareanewconcept;moreaboutthatlater
on).Whenusingtheflaglineoption,theproposednewRuleswillcallthatthe“back-ona-line”option,youwillhave20”oneithersideofthatlinewhereyouwilldropyourball
anditwillhavetocometorest.Thissavestheplayerswhohavebeenscrewingupthat
proceduretheirwholelivesbystandingONthelineanddroppingtotheside.Theball
hastostaywithintheprescribedreliefareawithnolimitonnumberofdropstogetit
right.Unlessyouareonareallysteepslope,Idon’treallyseealotofsituationswherea
ballisgoingtorolloutofthisnewexpandedareaanymore.Ialsoenvisionplayersand
equipmentmanufacturersputting20”and40”measurementsmarksonclubsfor
reference.
Anotherbigdealinthechangesthatmakesiteasierforallplayerstogetitrightiswhen
yourballatrestgetmovedaccidentlywhilesearchingforitoranytimewhenitisonthe
greentherewillbenopenalty.Ifyouhavealreadymarked,liftedandreplaceditonthe
greenanditmovesforANYreason(wind,gravity,youkickit,badluckornoapparent
reason)justreplaceitwithnopenalty.
Touchingyourlineforaputtortouchingthegreeninpointingoutatargetarenolonger
apenalty.Youoryourcaddiecandoeitherofthosethingsaslongasdoingsodoesn’t
improvetheconditionsaffectingyourstroke.AllyouAimPointusersoutthereareoff
thehooknow.Itisalwaysafinelinewhetherplayersaretouchingtheirlineofputtand
nowwewon’tcare.Idohaveonecautionherethough–youcanstillgethitwithapace
ofplaypenaltyifyoudinkaroundtoolongdoingit.
TheproposednewRuleswillhaveanexpandedrestrictiononcaddieshelpingyouwith
youralignmentbeforeyourstroke.Yourcaddiewillnotbeallowedtostandonaline
behindyoufromthetimeyoubegintakingyourstanceuntilafteryouhavemadeyour
stroke.Iknowafewcaddieswhoaregoingtolovethis.Theyhateitandwehate
watchingit.Donedeal.Thismightevenspeedplayup,imaginethat?
Onechangethatisreallygoingtohelprecreationalplayersandclubsistheycanmark
anythingasaredpenaltyarea(newtermforwhatusedtobealateralwaterhazard
becausepenaltyareaswillnotbelimitedtojustbodiesofwater).Manycoursesalready
dothisnowwithouttheauthorityoftheRules.UndertheproposednewRules,deserts,
forests,areasofunmaintainedlonggrasses,lava,etc.canusethe80”dropfromwhere
youcrossedthemarginintothemiftheywant.Thiswillreallyhelppaceofplaytoo.
IcanalreadyheartheTwitterspherewhiningabout“whydidn’ttheyletushaverelief
fromdivots!!”Hereiswhy.Sorry.It’sanoutdoorsport.Howdowedefinewhatisand
isn’tadivot?Dowesayasmallindentationinthefairwayisjustanolddivot?Dowe
wantplayerstogetoutofeverylittlespottheythinkisunfavorable?Notonlyisthisa
paceofplaynightmare,itbreaksoneofthebasictenetsItalkedaboutinthebeginning.
Playtheballasitliesunlessyouhavenootheroptions.It’snotlikeyou’veneverhada
goodlieintherough.Thebreaksingolf–goodandbad-morethanevenoutinfavor
oftheplayer.
Anothercomplaintwewillhearisthecontinuationofastrokeanddistancepenaltyfora
ballthatgoesoutofbounds.Theproblemhereisthatthereisreallynoeasyalternative.
Dowegiveatwostrokepenaltyanddrop80”fromwhereballlastcrossedthemargin?
Itisalmostimpossibletodetermineareferencepointforthisbecauseithappenssofar
away.Itopensituptosomuchsubjectivegarbageandsuchasteeppenaltythatitjust
seemslikestrokeanddistanceisstilltheonlyfairwaytogo.Duringthecommentperiod
though,thegoverningbodieswillbeopentosuggestionsforhowtodothistothe
satisfactionofallplayersinvolved,notjusttheplayerwiththelostball.
Hereareothernoteworthychanges:
•Ballunplayableinbunkerwillbeallowedtotakeballoutofthebunkertoaback-on-alinereliefareabehindthebunkerfora2strokepenalty.
•Nopenaltyformovingaballatrestwhensearchingforanybody.Replacetheball.
•Nopenaltywhenaballinmotionisaccidentlydeflectedbytheplayer,theircaddie,
theirequipment,someoneattendingaflagstickoraremovedorattendedflagstick.Ball
playedasitlies.Keywordhereis“accidental”.Ifyoupurposelyplacetheflagstick
behindtheholetohelpyourself,youwillhaveproblemssodon’ttryandgamethe
system.Rememberthatwholehonestyandintegritything?
•Nomorerequirementstoannounce,allowtowatchetc.foridentifyingyourballor
determiningifballisunfitforplay.Cleaningpenaltywillstillbetherethoughsowewill
stillhavepenaltiesunderthis.
•Term“ThroughtheGreen”isgone.NowcalledGeneralArea.(Thisandtheoldterm
refertothefairway,roughandanywhereelsethatisnotabunker,penaltyareaoryour
teeingareaandputtinggreenfortheholeyouareplaying.)
•Term“Hazard”isgone.NoweitheraPenaltyAreaoraBunker.
•InPenaltyareas,youwillbeallowedtotakepracticeswings,groundyourcluband
removelooseimpediments.
•Bunkerswillhavetheirownruleandprocedures.Stillnogroundingyourclubor
touchingsandnearyourball(improvinglie)butjustmerelytouchingsomewhereelsein
thebunkerwillbeokay.Youwillalsobeallowedtoremovelooseimpediments.
•Defaultwillbeallwaterislateral(nowcalledaredpenaltyarea)butcanuselocalrule
tomakesomethingyellow.Equidistantoppositemargindropswillbegoneexceptwhen
allowedunderalocalrule.
•Eachrulewillstartwithapurposestatementtotryandmakeitmoreunderstandable.
•NomoreDecisionBookbuttherewillbeaHandbook(itwillendupbeingdecision
bookinmyopinion)
•Canhitflagstickwithnopenaltywhenputting.
•Canfixspikemarksandallothermaintenancedamageonthegreen.Justcan’tflatten
irregularities.
•AllowingDistanceMeasuringDeviceswillbedefaultandlocalruleneededtoprohibit
them.
•Embeddedballreliefanywhereexceptinsandwillbethedefault.Mustuseclosely
mownareaaslocalrule.Dropwillbewithin20”behindwhereembedded.
•Cansubstituteballatanytime(freeorpenaltyrelief)whentakingadrop.
•Tourslovethis!Ifyoudamageclubforanyreason,youcankeepusingitorhaveit
repaired.Canonlyreplaceifdamagedbysomeoneotherthanyou,yourpartneror
eitherofyourcaddies.
•Committeecanauthorizecodesofconductandgivepenaltiesforthem.Throwing
club,cussingetc.–handbookshouldhavesome“bestpractices”suggestions.
•3minutestosearchforalostball.Canplayprovisionalatanytimewhilepeopleare
stillsearching.
•OneruleforAbnormalCourseConditions,whichwillincludegroundunderrepair,
temporarywater,immovableobstructionsetc.Reliefisthesame.
•Looseimpediments,movableobstructions,ballinterferingallsameruleandrelief.Still
can’tmovethemwhileballinmotionthough.
Wehaveallkindsofinterestingstuffgoingonintheveinofrulesmoderizationbutdon’t
forgetthisdoesn’tgointoeffectuntilJanuary1,2019.Thewordingandnuancesmay
changeduringandafterthecommentperiodasgolferfeedbackisreceivedbutthisis
thegistofallthebigchanges.Feelfreetocontactme.I’msureyouguyswillhavelotsof
questions.
Fullverbageofchangeshere:
Themajorchangesarealsosummarizedherebelow,writteninthestyleofthenew
Player’sEditionoftheRules–thatis,withthefocuson“you,”theplayer.
a.WhenThingsHappentoYourBallinPlay
(1)BallatRestAccidentallyMoves
•
Accidentallymovingyourballwhilesearchingforit:Thereisnolongera
penalty.
•
Accidentallymovingyourballorball-markerwhenitisontheputting
green:Thereisnolongerapenalty.
•
Newstandardfordecidingifyoucausedyourballtomove:Youwillbe
foundtohavecausedyourballtomoveonlyifthatisknownorvirtually
certain(thatis,itisatleast95%likelythatyouwerethecause).
(2)ReplacingaMovedorLiftedBall
•
Newprocedurewhenyoudon’tknowtheexactspotwhereyourballwas
atrest:Youmustreplacetheballonitsestimatedoriginalspot(rather
thandroptheballatthatspot);andiftheestimatedspotwason,under
oragainstgrowing,attachedorfixedobjects(suchasgrass),youmust
replacetheballon,underoragainstthoseobjects.
(3)BallinMotionAccidentallyDeflected
•
Yourballinmotionaccidentallyhitsyou,yourequipment,yourcaddie,
someoneattendingtheflagstickforyouoraremovedorattended
flagstick:Thereisnolongerapenalty(suchaswhenyourballbounces
offabunkerfaceandhitsyou).
b.TakingRelief
(1)DroppingaBallinaDefinedReliefArea
•
Relaxeddroppingprocedure:Theonlyrequirementisthatyouholdthe
ballabovethegroundwithoutittouchinganygrowingthingorother
naturalorartificialobject,andletitgosothatitfallsthroughtheair
beforecomingtorest;toavoidanydoubt,itisrecommendedthatthe
ballbedroppedfromatleastoneinchabovethegroundoranygrowing
thingorobject.
•
Definedreliefarea:Theballneedstobedroppedinandplayedfroma
singlerequiredreliefarea(whereastodayyouarerequiredtodropaball
inonearea,itcanrollaway,andyouneedtore-dropifitrollstoanyof
ninespecificplaces).
•
Fixedmeasuresdefinethereliefarea:Youusethefixeddistanceof20
inchesor80inchestomeasurethereliefarea(nolongerusingoneor
twoclub-lengths);thiscanreadilybemeasuredbyusingmarkingsonthe
shaftofaclub.
(2)LostBall
•
Reducedtimeforballsearch:Aballislostifnotfoundinthreeminutes
(ratherthanthecurrentfiveminutes)afteryoubeginsearchingforit.
(3)EmbeddedBall
•
Reliefforembeddedballinthegeneralarea:Youmaytakereliefifyour
ballisembeddedanywhere(exceptinsand)inthegeneralarea(which
isthenewtermfor“throughthegreen”),exceptwhereaLocalRule
restrictsrelieftothefairwayorsimilarareas(thisreversesthedefault
positioninthecurrentRules).
(4)BalltoUseinTakingRelief
•
Substitutinganotherball:Youmaycontinuetousetheoriginalballor
substituteanotherball,wheneveryoutakeeitherfreerelieforpenalty
reliefunderaRule.
c.SpecialRulesforSpecificAreasoftheCourse
(1)PuttingGreen
•
Puttingwithflagstickleftinthehole:Thereisnolongerapenaltyifyou
playaballfromtheputtinggreenandithitstheunattendedflagstickin
thehole.
•
Repairingdamageontheputtinggreen:Youmayrepairalmostall
damage(includingspikemarksandanimaldamage)ontheputting
green(ratherthanbeinglimitedtorepairingonlyball-marksoroldhole
plugs).
•
Touchingyourlineofputtortouchingtheputtinggreeninpointingout
target:Thereisnolongerapenaltyifyouoryourcaddiedoeseitherof
thesethings,solongasdoingsodoesnotimprovetheconditions
affectingyourstroke.
•
Replacingyourballifitmovesonlyafteryouhadalreadymarked,lifted
andreplacedit:Anytimethishappensontheputtinggreen,youreplace
theballonitsspot–evenifitwasblownbythewindormovedforno
clearreason.
•
Yourcaddiemarksandliftsyourballontheputtinggreen:Thereisno
longerapenaltyifyourcaddiedoesthiswithoutyourspecific
authorizationtodoso.
(2)PenaltyAreas
•
Penaltyareasexpandedbeyondwaterhazards:Red-andyellow-marked
“penaltyareas”maynowcoverareastheCommitteedecidestomarkfor
thispurpose(suchasdeserts,jungles,orlavarockfields),inadditionto
areasofwater.
•
Expandeduseofredpenaltyareas:Committeesaregiventhediscretion
tomarkallpenaltyareasasredsothatlateralreliefisalwaysallowed
(buttheymaystillmarkpenaltyareasasyellowwheretheyconsiderit
appropriate).
•
Eliminationofoppositesidereliefoption:Youarenolongerallowedto
takerelieffromaredpenaltyareaontheoppositesidefromwherethe
balllastenteredthepenaltyarea(unlessaCommitteeadoptsaLocal
Ruleallowingit).
•
Removalofallspecialrestrictionsonmovingortouchingthingsina
penaltyarea:Thereisnolongerapenaltyifyoutouchormoveloose
impediments(suchasleaves,stonesandsticks)ortouchthegroundwith
yourhandoryourclubinapenaltyarea.
(3)Bunkers
•
Removalofspecialrestrictionsonmovinglooseimpediments:Thereisno
longerapenaltyifyoutouchormovelooseimpedimentsinabunker.
•
Relaxedrestrictionsontouchingthesandwithyourhandorclubwhen
yourballisinabunker:Youarenowprohibitedonlyfromtouchingthe
sand(1)withyourhandorclubtotesttheconditionofthebunkeror(2)
withyourclubinthearearightbehindorinfrontoftheball,inmakinga
practiceswingorinmakingthebackswingforyourstroke.
•
Newunplayableballreliefoption:Fortwopenaltystrokes,youmaytake
reliefoutsidethebunkerbydroppingaballbackonalinefromthehole
throughwhereyourballwasatrestinthebunker.
d.EquipmentYouareAllowedtoUse
(1)DamagedClubs
•
Useofdamagedclubs:Youmaykeepusinganyclubthatisdamaged
duringtheround,nomatterhowithappens(forexample,evenifyou
damageditinanger).
•
Replacementofdamagedclubs:Youmaynotreplaceadamagedclub,
unlessyouwerenotresponsibleforcausingthedamage.
(2)DamagedBall
•
Substitutinganotherballforacutorcrackedball:Youmaysubstitute
anotherballifyourballinplayonaholehasbecomecutorcrackedwhile
playingthathole;butyouarenolongerallowedtochangeballssolely
becausetheballhasbecome“outofshape.”
(3)Distance-MeasuringDevices
•
DMDsallowed:YoumayuseDMDstomeasuredistance,exceptwhen
prohibitedbyLocalRule(thisreversesthedefaultpositioninthecurrent
Rules).
e.HowYouPrepareforandMakeaStroke
•
Expandedrestrictiononcaddiehelpwithalignment:Yourcaddieisnot
allowedtostandonalinebehindyoufromthetimeyoubegintakingyour
stanceuntilyouhavemadeyourstroke.
f.PromotingFasterPaceofPlay
•
Encouragingyoutoplaypromptly:Itisrecommendedthatyoumakeeach
strokeinnomorethan40seconds–andusuallymorequicklythanthat–
onceit’syourturntoplay.
•
Playingoutofturninstrokeplay(“readygolf”):Thishasalwaysbeenallowed
withoutpenalty,andnowyouareaffirmativelyencouragedtodosoina
safeandresponsiblewayforconvenienceortosavetime.
•
Newalternativeformofstrokeplay:TheRulesrecognizeanew“Maximum
Score”formofstrokeplay,whereyourscoreforaholeiscappedata
maximum(suchasdoubleparortriplebogey)setbytheCommittee,sothat
youcanpickupandmovetothenextholewhenyourscorewillbeator
abovethemaximum.
•
Otherchangestohelppaceofplay:Thesimplifieddroppingprocedure,
reducedtimeforballsearch,expansionofpenaltyareas,greateruseofred
penaltyareasandabilitytoputtwiththeflagstickintheholeshouldallhelp
paceofplayaswell.
g.InsistingonHighStandardsofConductandTrustingPlayerIntegrity
•
Playinginthespiritofthegame:Newprovisionsareaddedtoreinforcethe
highstandardsofconductexpectedfromallplayersonthecourseandthe
Committee’sdiscretiontodisqualifyplayersforseriousmisconduct.
•
Codeofplayerconduct:Committeesaregivenauthoritytoadopttheirown
codeofplayerconductandtosetpenaltiesforthebreachofstandardsin
thatcode.
•
Eliminationofneedtoannounceintenttoliftball:Whenyouhavegood
reasontoliftyourballtoidentifyit,toseeifitiscutorcrackedortoseeif
youareentitledtorelief(suchastoseeiftheballisembedded),youareno
longerrequiredfirsttoannouncetoanotherplayeroryourmarkerthatyou
intendtodosoortogivethatpersonanopportunitytoobservetheprocess.
•
Reasonablejudgmentstandard:Whenyouneedtoestimateormeasurea
spot,point,line,areaordistanceunderaRule,yourreasonablejudgment
willnotbesecond-guessedbasedonlaterevidence(suchasvideoreview)if
youdidallthatcouldreasonablybeexpectedunderthecircumstancesto
estimateormeasureaccurately.