Rule 1: The Game, Player Conduct and the Rules
R. 1.1: Play the course as you find it, play the ball as it lies, and follow the Rules to guide any exceptions to these principles.
R. 1.2a: Players are expected to act with integrity, show consideration to others, and take care of the course. The Committee may adopt a Code of Conduct to impose penalties on players who misbehave.
• R. 1.3a: Confirms that the “Rules” includes the “Local Rules.” Players must review these carefully as many will be amended for 2019.
• R. 1.3b(2): Your reasonable judgment (with respect to such decisions as estimating where your ball last crossed the edge of a penalty area, estimating or measuring where to drop your ball when taking relief, and replacing a ball on its original spot) will be accepted, even if video evidence or later information proves you wrong.
Rule 2: The Course
R. 2.2c: If part of your ball touches both the general area and one of the four specific areas (your teeing area, penalty area, bunker, your putting green), it is treated as lying in the specific area. If your ball touches two specific areas, it is treated as lying in the specific area that comes first in this order: penalty area, bunker, putting green.
Rule 3: The Competition
• R. 3.2a(1): A player’s result for a hole in a match reflects the full impact of any penalties (i.e., the current Rule 2-2 for a halved hole no longer applies).
• R. 3.2d(1): A player in a match who fails or refuses to tell his opponent how many strokes he has taken when he is asked for that information is considered to have given the wrong number of strokes taken and gets the general penalty (loss of hole).
• R. 3.2d(3): If the players in a match mistakenly agree on the wrong match score, and the mistake is not corrected in time (i.e., before either player makes a stroke on the next hole), the wrong match score becomes the actual match score.
R. 3.3b(3): You are not disqualified if a score on a hole is too low because you failed to include a penalty you were not aware of. If the mistake is found before the close of the competition, the Committee will only add the missing penalty stroke(s). [There is no longer an additional two-stroke penalty.]
R. 3.3b(5): There is no penalty to the player for adding up the scores incorrectly. That responsibility lies with the Committee.
• Committee Procedures, Section 6c (Official Guide): Combining match play and stroke play is still discouraged, as the Rules are so different for the two forms of play. However, combining the two is no longer prohibited. Players should be advised that the Rules for stroke play take precedence, e.g., disqualification for failure to hole out (exceptions for Stableford, Maximum Score, Par/Bogey), no concessions, no cancellation of a stroke if a player hits out of turn.
Rule 4: The Player’s Equipment:
R. 4.1a(2): If your club is damaged during the round, even if you caused the damage in a fit of anger, you must not replace it, unless it was damaged by an outside influence or a natural force. You may continue to play with the damaged club for the rest of the round, and you may have it repaired, provided you do not unreasonably delay play.
R. 4.1a(3): If you adjust an adjustable club and use it, you are disqualified. However, if you adjust the club back to its original position before you hit your ball, you may continue to use it. There is no penalty for carrying a non-conforming club or a club that you adjusted, unless you use it (DQ); such a club counts as one of your limit of 14.
R. 4.1b(3): If you carry 14 clubs, and one of them is lost or damaged, you may not replace it. A club that is damaged during the round is still considered conforming. Exception: If your club is damaged while it is out of your control (i.e., by a person other than your partner or caddie, or by natural forces), you may replace the damaged club, but you must take the damaged club out of play (following the procedure in R. 4.1c).
R. 4.1b(4): When you are permitted to add or replace a club (e.g., if you started your round with less than 14 clubs, or your club was damaged while out of your control), you must not unreasonably delay play, add or borrow a club from anyone else playing on the course, or build a club from parts carried by anyone for you. December 2018 Clarification: Any club that has been taken out of play may not be used during that round, even if a situation arises subsequently that enables a club to be replaced.
R. 4.2a(2): If you make a stroke at a ball that you have deliberately altered, such as by scuffing or heating or applying a substance (other than something used to clean it), you are disqualified.
R.4.3a (1): You are allowed to use a distance-measuring device (but only for distance, not for elevation changes) or a compass. The Committee may adopt a Local Rule prohibiting the use of distance-measuring devices.
R. 4.3a(2): You are allowed to get weather information (including wind speed) from weather forecasts, but you may not measure wind speed at the course or use something artificial (such as powder) to learn wind direction.
R. 4.3a(4): You may listen to music (or watch video unrelated to the competition), but you must show consideration to others, meaning you should turn it off if you are asked to do so. You may not listen to music for the purpose of eliminating distractions or getting help with your swing tempo. The Committee may ban music and video.
Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
