USGA and R&A reveal proposed rule changes in a bid to modernise the sport

The R&A and USGA revealed changes to the rules of golf that would come into effect from Jan 1, 2019. The changes are expected to have the most impact on the game and to be of most interest to golfers and those who follow the game.

“There was a recognition on both sides of the pond to take a new look at it, an agreement to put everything on the table and do something good for the game,” says John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of rules, competitions and equipment standards. “We’re very happy with what we’ve come up with and excited to see how golfers of all levels feel about what we’re proposing.”

The governing bodies are teaming up to create one set of worldwide rules that are easier to understand, and over the next six months (until Aug. 31), they will be accepting feedback/comments from golfers. To view all the changes, visit the USGA website.

Currently there are 34 rules, and the proposal is for a smaller and easier-to-understand book with 24. To do this, USGA and R&A officials want to consolidate many of rules sections. Below is a list of some of the major changes that you need to know:

Key proposed rule changes

Elimination or reduction of “ball moved” penalties: There will be no penalty for accidentally moving a ball on the putting green or in searching for a ball; and a player is not responsible for causing a ball to move unless it is “virtually certain” that he or she did so.

Relaxed putting green rules: There will be no penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits an unattended flagstick in the hole; players may putt without having the flagstick attended or removed. 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” (currently 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 preserve 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 outside the bunker with a two-stroke penalty.

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 encouragement of “ready golf” in stroke play; recommending that players take no more than 40 seconds to play a stroke and other changes intended to help with pace of play.

Simplified way of taking relief: A new procedure for taking relief by dropping a ball in and playing it from a specific relief area; relaxed procedures for dropping a ball, allowing the ball to be dropped from just above the ground or any growing thing or other object on the ground.

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“People are imperfect and there are times you cannot be precise when measuring,” says Craig Winter, the USGA’s rules director. “We want there to be a built-in margin of error so the golfer is not penalized when they thought they got it right.”

Player integrity is being emphasized in the proposal, Bodenhamer adds. That includes allowing courses and committees to adopt their own standards of player conduct and put more obligations on players to marshal themselves.

Rules officials will still play a key role in tournaments, but their status when the new rules are announced is unclear. A massive educational program is underway to get officials familiar with all the proposed changes, but Bodenhamer says they haven’t decided whether everyone will have to be recertified when the new rules are announced.

“We’re still thinking about how we are going to train the trainers, so to speak,” he says. “The education component of this will be handled more intentionally than we’ve ever done.”

Here’s more from the USGA: