Get to know the new rules

As we think ahead to next year, there are some very important rule changes, mostly to speed up the game and you should start to aquatint yourselves with them now.

The first is the dropping procedure. Last year it was proposed that golfers could drop from any height above an inch. This has been changed to knee height, so from 1st Jan 2019, when taking relief golfers will now drop from knee height – no longer shoulder height.

After the proposal last year for golfers to measure relief by 20 inches or 80 inches, the standard one or two club lengths will remain. Golfers can take relief using the longest club in their bag, barring the putter.

There will no longer be a penalty for double-hitting a shot. Golfers will simply count the single stroke they took to strike the ball, rather than counting two shots for hitting the ball twice.

The out of bounds rule is set to undergo huge changes in a bid to speed up play. From 1st Jan 2019, golf clubs will be allowed to install a local rule that golfers can drop a new ball in the vicinity of where their ball has gone out of bounds, with a two stroke penalty.

There will be no penalty for accidentally moving your ball on the putting green or when looking for it. A player is not responsible for causing a ball to move unless it is “virtually certain” that they did.

The flagstick no longer has to be attended or removed when putting and there will be no penalty if a golfer hits an unattended flagstick in the hole.

Golfers will be allowed to repair spike marks as well as other damage on the putting green. There is also no penalty for merely touching the line of a putt.

Golfers can now touch the ground with their club in a hazard and can move loose impediments in a hazard without penalty. As well as that, golfers can move loose impediments in bunkers and will not be penalised for generally grounding their club away from their ball. You still cannot ground your club when playing a bunker shot. An unplayable lie may be taken in a bunker, with a drop out for two strokes.

Player integrity will be relied on to the point where a player’s “reasonable judgement” will be trusted on things like estimating/measuring a spot, point, line, area or distance.

The five minute golf ball search time has been scrapped. From 1st Jan 2019, golfers will be allowed only 3 minutes to search for a strayed golf ball.