Rule Revisions: A Softening at the R&A

A golfer with a good knowledge of the rules has, in my mind, an advantage over the player that merely has a grasp of the basics. For example, knowing when you can take relief without penalty can make all the difference to your scorecard or match.  OK, realistically not many people are actually going to read the Rules of Golf from cover to cover, but the recent rule changes are certainly worth swotting up on, for this very reason.

These are the most significant amendments, and what they mean to us as golfers.

Ball Moving After Address (Rule 18-2b) A new exception is added which exonerates the player from penalty if their ball moves after it has been addressed when it is known or virtually certain that they did not cause the ball to move. For example, if it is a gust of wind that moves the ball after it has been addressed, there is no penalty and the ball is played from its new position.

Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions (Rule 13-4) Exception 2 to this Rule is amended to permit a player to smooth sand or soil in a hazard at any time, including before playing from that hazard, provided it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and Rule 13-2 (improving lie, area of intended stance or swing or line of play) is not breached.

Time of Starting (Rule 6-3a) The rule is amended to provide that the penalty for starting late, but within five minutes of the starting time, is reduced from disqualification to loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play. Previously this penalty reduction could be introduced as a condition of competition.

Hole-in-One (Rule 3-2b) A new ruling excludes hole-in-one prizes from the general prize limit and allows high value prizes, including cash, to be awarded. This exception, which brings The R&A into line with the USGA Rules of Amateur Status, is specific to prizes for holes-in-one achieved while playing a round of golf and neither separate events nor multiple-entry events qualify.

I’d also recommend some videos that the R&A have put together with details of all the changes for the 2012-2015 Rules of Golf. Click on this link here to view them.

What’s encouraging is that the R&A are demonstrating a willingness to listen as well as react, when coming under pressure from golfers and the media. Not only this, but the changes are coming after careful deliberation and time. We all want to see the rules working in the best interests of the game, but if there was a reactionary change to every controversial rules infringement, then the average golfer’s understanding would be totally muddled. Common sense has clearly prevailed and some pressing issues have been tidied up that will benefit both professional and amateur golfers alike. Nobody wants to see championships decided by unnecessarily harsh penalties at any level, and it looks like the R&A have shut the stable door before the horse bolted.