News

GOLF’S MODERNIZED RULES RELEASED

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., USA AND ST ANDREWS SCOTLAND (MARCH 12, 2018): The USGA and
The R&A have unveiled the new Rules of Golf, to be implemented January 1, 2019.
The USGA and The R&A finalized golf’s new Rules this month after an extensive review that included
a request for feedback from the global golf community 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 made following review of the feedback received from golfers around the world include:

• Dropping procedure: When taking relief (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 preserving the randomness of the drop. (Key
change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height).
• Measuring in taking relief: The golfer’s relief area will be measured by using 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 process 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 striking 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
included the existing one-stroke penalty).
• Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative 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 fairway
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 Local 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, administrators and everyone in the game who took the time to provide
us with great insight and thoughtful feedback,” said USGA Senior Director of Rules & Amateur Status,
Thomas Pagel. “We couldn’t be more excited to introduce the new Rules ahead of their education and
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 experts 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
everyone who enjoys playing this great game.”

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 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.
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
interpretation 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, commonly used phrases, and diagrams. Written 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 person and include
illustrations. It is intended to be a more thorough version of the revised Rules.
• The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf: This “guidebook” replaces the Decisions book and will
contain information to best support committees and officials. It includes interpretations on the
Rules, Committee procedures (available local rules and information on establishing the terms
of the competition), and the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities. It is a
comprehensive resource document intended as a supplementary publication.

More than 30 “how-to apply” videos and a summary of the principal changes are now available at
usga.org/rules. Additional education tools will be released 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 modernise golf’s Rules. The Swiss watchmaker’s
contribution to excellence in golf is based on a rich heritage stretching back more than 50 years,
forged through pivotal partnerships at every level of the game, from the sport’s leading professional
and amateur competitions and organisations, to players at the pinnacle of their sport worldwide.

# # #

About the USGA

The USGA conducts the US Open, US Women’s Open, US Senior Open and the US Senior Women’s
Open, as well as 10 amateur championships and international matches, attracting players and fans
around the world. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly
administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status and equipment standards and with a
working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico, and administers the World Amateur
Golf Ranking.

The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of
sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history
and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and the work of the
USGA Foundation. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six
continents. For more information, visit http://www.usga.org.

About The R&A
Based in St Andrews, The R&A runs The Open, elite amateur events, international matches and
rankings. Together The R&A and the USGA govern the sport of golf worldwide, operating in separate
jurisdictions but sharing a commitment to a single code for the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status
and Equipment Standards. The R&A, through R&A Rules Ltd, governs the sport worldwide, outside of
the United States and Mexico, on behalf of over 36 million golfers in 143 countries and with the
consent of 155 organisations from amateur and professional golf.

The R&A is committed to working for golf and supports the growth of the sport internationally and the
development and management of sustainable golf facilities.

For more information, visit
www.randa.org.

Media Contacts:
Janeen Driscoll, USGA Director of Communications
/Blog/golf-s-modernized-rules-released-for-2019; 910-690-9711

Mike Woodcock, Director of Corporate Communications, The R&A
/Blog/golf-s-modernized-rules-released-for-2019; +44(0)7584 071246

The post Golf’s Modernized Rules Released for 2019 appeared first on Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association.