Every four years the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Royal and Ancient Golf Association (R&A) meet to discuss possible changes to the Rules of Golf. The change years always coincide with Leap years in order to give us all and extra day to learn them. In 2008 there were penalty reductions and additions, revisions to existing decisions, and new decisions were added.
The most notable of all changes deals with Rule 15-3, which describes playing a wrong ball. In previous years, there was no penalty for playing a wrong ball from a hazard (which includes bunkers and water hazards). In 2008, the rule has changed so that there is a penalty for playing a wrong ball anywhere on the golf course, including hazards. There were a few reasons for this change, but most notably it was to make the Rule more consistent. In the past, the main reason you were not penalized for playing a wrong ball from a hazard was because you were not permitted to identify a ball when in it lies in a hazard. The change to the wrong ball Rule required a change be made to Rule 12-1 – this rule now allows you to identify your ball anywhere on the course. This will greatly reduce the possibility of playing a wrong ball in a hazard. The procedure will be the same as if you were lifting your ball to identify it “through the green”, but when you replace the ball, you must recreate the lie you had prior to lifting it. One of the reasons for this change is the same as the wrong ball rule – to be more consistent. You already could lift your ball to determine if it was unfit for play or if it interfered or assisted someone’s play, and now you can to identify it too.
Another notable change was made in regards to Rule 24-1, which deals with movable obstructions. How many times have you moved a flagstick that is lying on the ground because you thought your fellow competitor’s ball might strike it? If you did, it used to be a penalty. A change this year allows you to move a flagstick that has been removed from the hole without penalty. Again, this change makes the Rules more consistent. There is no penalty for moving equipment lying on the ground because you think someone’s ball might strike it, whether the equipment is yours or not. This revision changes the status of an already removed flagstick to be the same as equipment. However, there is still a penalty for removing the flagstick from the hole when it is unattended because you feel a player’s ball might strike it.
In a terminology change, in order for a ball to be considered lost it now must be “Known or Virtually Certain” that the ball is lost in a specific condition. This term is replacing the term “Reasonable Evidence”. Before this year, you only needed “Reasonable Evidence” that your ball was lost in a water hazard in order to take relief under Rule 26 (water hazards). Now, it needs to be “Known or Virtually Certain” that your ball is in the water hazard to take relief. This doesn’t sound like much of a change, but it really stresses the fact you need to be certain your ball is in the specific condition in order to take relief under the applicable rule.
Also of note, a penalty reduction occurred to Rule 19-2, which deals with a ball in motion that is deflected or stopped by a player. The penalty for violating this rule has been reduced from two strokes down to one stroke, and it now mirrors Rule 18-2 (ball at rest moved by player) which carries the same penalty.
With new situations arising all the time, and different philosophies of the USGA and R&A, it is very important that the Rules of Golf not stay stagnant, but adapt to change. Learning these changes now will give you a competitive edge over your fellow competitors with the golf season just around the corner. For a complete list of changes for 2008, you can go to the USGA web site at www.usga.org. If you have any questions about these changes, please feel free to contact the Rules and Competitions department at the CGA.
