USGA and R&A officials reveal final draft of modernized Rules of Golf

[edjr 5,554]

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/usga-and-randa-officials-reveal-final-draft-of-modernized-rules-of-golf-to-debut-in-2019

 

 

Six years in the making and 12 months after a first draft was circulated to the golf world for comment, officials with the USGA and R&A have settled on a new, modernized version of the Rules of Golf that will go into effect Jan. 1, 2019. The two governing bodies jointly unveiled the final revisions on Monday, officially codifying the most sweeping changes to the game’s Rules in decades.

With the objective of making the Rules easier to understand and apply, the result is a reduction in number from 34 to 24 and a reorganization that consolidates principles and simplifies the overall language to make it more practical to current golfers and more accessible to newcomers.

Several forward-thinking updates originally outlined in last year’s proposed Rules remain in place. They include a reduction in the time spent to find a lost ball from five to three minutes, elimination of penalties for accidentally moving a ball on the green or during a search, allowing for the removal of loose impediments and touching the ground in hazards, and fixing spike marks among other relaxed procedures on greens and in bunkers.

There have been some changes, however, from the proposed Rules that take into account the 30,000-plus pieces of feedback the two groups received last summer. Most notably, the USGA and R&A have written a local rule that permits committees to allow golfers an alternative to the stroke-and-distance penalty for lost balls or balls hit out of bounds. Under the local rule, which is not intended for professional or elite-level competition, golfers can opt to drop the ball in the vicinity of where they lost or hit the ball out of bounds—including in the nearest fairway area—under a two-stroke penalty.

“This addresses the issue you hear at the club level about the practical nature of going back and playing under stroke and distance just doesn’t work. It has a negative impact on pace of play, and so how can we introduce something to resolve that. That’s what this local rule is about,” said Thomas Pagel, USGA senior director of Rules & Amateur Status. “You simply estimate where it’s out of bounds or where you ball is likely to be lost, you can go all the way out to the fairway and drop anywhere behind. … But the primary objective here is to keep the player moving forward, and we think that’s the real benefit of this.”

The governing bodies also decided to drop the penalty for a double hit, allowing golfers to simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball, something that had not been introduced in the proposed Rules last March.

Two other originally proposed Rules changes have been amended. Rather than allow drops for relief to be done as close as two inches above the ground, players will be required to drop from knee height. Pagel said this seemed a fair compromise, helping simplify the dropping process while preserving the randomness of a drop.

Additionally, the provision that outlined a 20-inch and 80-inch standard measurement for taking relief returned to the two club-length standard using the longest club in your bag.

“I think of all the changes, that one is the real concrete example of we listened. This feedback period, we were sincere in asking for people’s views,” Pagel said. “Because the fixed measures, philosophically, makes total sense, but from a practical standpoint with people are saying I’m scratching my head a little bit, I’m not sure how I’m going to measure this, we had to step back and say OK lets change. … It’s a lot easier if I just use my club length. And so we just went back to the drawing board.”

Mind you, not all Rules issues that received lots of feedback were acted on. Pagel noted that while getting many requests about finding a way to provide relief when a ball comes to rest in the fairway in a divot hole, the governing bodies stood firm on the notion that this was something too fundamental a change.

“One of the primary objectives for the overall initiative is to make the rules easier to understand and apply, but to also make sure we maintained the traditions and principles behind the game,” Pagel said. “And the principles are to play the ball as it lies and the course as you find it. So to write a rule that allows a player to sort of deviate from that, was not something we were wanting to do.”

So what happens now? Well, more than 30 “how to apply” videos have also been created as educational tools and can be viewed at usga.org/rules. However, the USGA and R&A intend to wait until the fall before implementing a more comprehensive educational effort in preparation for Jan. 1, 2019.

“From our perspective, there is a recognition that there are nine more months of play under the current rules, and so we don’t really want to really create a mass level of confusion,” Pagel said. “So you’re not really going to hear much from us. That information will be available for those who want to find it, but really it’s not going to be until September where we’ll be pushing education and doing it at all levels of the game.”

 

 

2 stroke penalty? this won't change squat you focking lunatics. People are still going to walk back and hit again. No one is going to take a 2 stroke penalty.

Clueless as always

 

[ROCKFORD 134]

another golf thread?

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/usga-and-randa-officials-reveal-final-draft-of-modernized-rules-of-golf-to-debut-in-2019

 

 

2 stroke penalty? this won't change squat you focking lunatics. People are still going to walk back and hit again. No one is going to take a 2 stroke penalty.

Clueless as always

 

 

 

I know lots of hackers that this would help. Especially since they get to go to the freakin' fairway. For the half-decent golfer, you should be hitting a provisional anyway.

 

What would you propose as an alternative?

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

I thought the same thing yesterday when I saw it. 2 strokes is garbage and would assure nobody takes it.

 

It should be one stroke.

[ROCKFORD 134]

how about 1.5?

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

I thought the same thing yesterday when I saw it. 2 strokes is garbage and would assure nobody takes it.

 

It should be one stroke.

 

So, you can hit a ball OB, march it into the fairway and just take one stroke? I wouldn't give a sh!t if I hit the fairway or not of the tee in that case. Here's a tip - don't hit it OB.

[edjr 5,554]

 

I know lots of hackers that this would help. Especially since they get to go to the freakin' fairway. For the half-decent golfer, you should be hitting a provisional anyway.

 

What would you propose as an alternative?

 

It specifically says it is a rule for hackers, 2 stroke penalty is a focking travesty,

 

Just like we do now when we play. 1 stroke penalty

[edjr 5,554]

 

So, you can hit a ball OB, march it into the fairway and just take one stroke? I wouldn't give a sh!t if I hit the fairway or not of the tee in that case. Here's a tip - don't hit it OB.

 

I am not okay with the fairway part, that is taking it too far.

 

take distance and 2 club lengths from where you think it landed.

 

we do this (1 stroke penalty) and we often aren't in the fairway

 

who is going to take 2 strokes?

 

when you can walk back to the tee and hit it again?

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

 

It specifically says it is a rule for hackers, 2 stroke penalty is a focking travesty,

 

Just like we do now when we play. 1 stroke penalty

 

... and you get to play from the fairway? So, you hit one far left, beyond the trees and you are going to be hitting 3 from the fairway?

 

I hit my tee shot still in bounds, but I am in the tree line, so I have to punch out. We are sitting in the same situation. That would be dumb.

 

Again, here is another tip - don't hit it OB.

[edjr 5,554]

 

... and you get to play from the fairway? So, you hit one far left, beyond the trees and you are going to be hitting 3 from the fairway?

 

I hit my tee shot still in bounds, but I am in the tree line, so I have to punch out. We are sitting in the same situation. That would be dumb.

 

Again, here is another tip - don't hit it OB.

 

jesus.

 

 

I am not okay with the fairway part, that is taking it too far.

 

take distance and 2 club lengths from where you think it landed.

 

we do this (1 stroke penalty) and we often aren't in the fairway

 

who is going to take 2 strokes?

 

when you can walk back to the tee and hit it again?

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

 

I am not okay with the fairway part, that is taking it too far.

 

take distance and 2 club lengths from where you think it landed.

 

we do this (1 stroke penalty) and we often aren't in the fairway

 

who is going to take 2 strokes?

 

when you can walk back to the tee and hit it again?

 

Playing it like it was a red stake and making it lateral? I could see that being viable. The reason that they don't do that is because they want it to be a legit penalty to hit it OB. Not sure that playing it like a lateral will accomplish that, but it is better than the current state.

 

Again, if you don't want to take the 2 strokes:

1. Don't hit it OB in the first place

2. If your tee shot looks like it might be OB (and let's not fool ourselves into thinking it is that hard), then play a provisional.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

 

jesus.

 

 

I was typing while you were posting, so fock off, you Shankapotamus!

[edjr 5,554]

 

Playing it like it was a red stake and making it lateral? I could see that being viable. The reason that they don't do that is because they want it to be a legit penalty to hit it OB. Not sure that playing it like a lateral will accomplish that, but it is better than the current state.

 

Again, if you don't want to take the 2 strokes:

1. Don't hit it OB in the first place

2. If your tee shot looks like it might be OB (and let's not fool ourselves into thinking it is that hard), then play a provisional.

 

that's like saying if you don't want your wife to fock the mailman, don't suck in bed. Some things you can't control

 

 

#2 problem is everyone would be smacking provisional, when they don't need to.

 

What about one that the entire group sees roll into the rough (so you thought) and you can't find it? if you didn't hit a provo.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

 

that's like saying if you don't want your wife to fock the mailman, don't suck in bed. Some things you can't control

 

 

#2 problem is everyone would be smacking provisional, when they don't need to.

 

What about one that the entire group sees roll into the rough (so you thought) and you can't find it? if you didn't hit a provo.

 

Take your penalty. It is like that bunker that they put in the middle of the fairway. You stripe one down the middle and it gets sucked in there. Don't hit it there.

 

Not sure what kind of courses you are playing, but the hacker places that I think that you frequent have pretty wide fairways and OB is not exactly easy to hit unless you shank one. If you shank one, there needs to be a penalty commensurate.

[parrot 789]

I thought the same thing yesterday when I saw it. 2 strokes is garbage and would assure nobody takes it.

 

It should be one stroke.

 

This. Just treat it like a hazard and go on.

[edjr 5,554]

 

 

Not sure what kind of courses you are playing, but the hacker places that I think that you frequent

 

you are insufferable and clueless.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

Should be 1 stroke if you don't look for it. 2 if you do. Risk / reward.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

 

you are insufferable and clueless.

 

Remember, I have played golf with you before.

[supermike80 1,285]

What s with this grounding your club in a hazard noe being ok? What??

Thats a bigger travesty. Can you take practice swings in a bunker now?

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

You hit it it O.B. then go to where it went O.B. (last line in bounds) then drol there for a 1 shot penalty. No one is stating go to fairway and drop.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

You hit it it O.B. then go to where it went O.B. (last line in bounds) then drol there for a 1 shot penalty. No one is stating go to fairway and drop.

Do the same for yellow stakes and you have a deal for casual golf.

[Cruzer 1,992]

I'm good with this rule change.

 

* As is states, it keeps the player moving forward - does not disrupt the pace of play.

 

* Many will opt for this. Why? Bcoz there's no guarantee that they'd hit their re-teed ball worth a shiit either.

 

* You hit it OB, should be popped a 2-stroke penalty.

[vuduchile 1,941]

On a course over in Indiana where I played from the tips, I actually hit a tee shot OB,

hit the focking provisional OB, then dumped a 3 iron into the the water hazard that was 200 yds out.

 

Faced with that same hole again, Id gladly take the 2 shot penalty.

[cbfalcon 824]

 

I am not okay with the fairway part, that is taking it too far.

 

take distance and 2 club lengths from where you think it landed.

 

we do this (1 stroke penalty) and we often aren't in the fairway

 

who is going to take 2 strokes?

 

when you can walk back to the tee and hit it again?

I feel like you are misunderstanding.

 

Shot 1 goes OB. 2 stroke penalty and drop in the fairway means you are hitting 4 from the fairway....Or go back to the tee and hit your 3rd. If you hit it straight, you are hitting 4 from the fairway. So taking the 2 stroke pentalty is the play most of the time.

 

Its a good rule. Frankly its how Ive always played anyway.

[fricker66 91]

I feel like you are misunderstanding.

 

Shot 1 goes OB. 2 stroke penalty and drop in the fairway means you are hitting 4 from the fairway....Or go back to the tee and hit your 3rd. If you hit it straight, you are hitting 4 from the fairway. So taking the 2 stroke pentalty is the play most of the time.

 

Its a good rule. Frankly its how Ive always played anyway.

 

 

Exactly. The people who are complaining about it being a two-stroke penalty have never played by the proper rules in the past. I know guys with whom I've played in the past who have said that they are lying 2 after their provisional.

[DankNuggs 305]

The irony of hacker golf is that the typical ascent wont change your handicap as you just continually improve enough to play by the real rules as opposed to loose interpretations of hazards and drops.