[jlab-9hgl 01440] Re: USGA rule changes for this year.

[Mark Ito]

Are we getting a quiz on this at the kick-off meeting?

On 3/4/19 9:17 AM, machie wrote:
> *
> On the putting green:*
>
> *Putting with flagstick left in the hole: There is no longer a penalty 
> if you play a ball from the putting green and it hits the unattended 
> flagstick in the hole.
> * Repairing damage on the putting green: You may repair almost all 
> damage (including shoe damage, such as spike marks, and animal damage) 
> on the
>    putting green (rather than being limited to repairing only 
> ball-marks or old hole plugs).
> * Touching your line of putt or touching the putting green in pointing 
> out target: There is no longer a penalty if you or your caddie does 
> either of these
>    things, so long as doing so does not improve the conditions 
> affecting your stroke.
> * Replacing your ball if it moves only after you had already marked, 
> lifted and replaced it: Any time this happens on the putting green, 
> you replace the
>    ball on its spot - even if it was blown by the wind or moved for no 
> clear reason.
> * Your caddie marks and lifts your ball on the putting green: There is 
> no longer a penalty if your caddie does this without your specific 
> authorization to do so.
>
> *Taking relief (not peeing):**
> ***
> (1) Dropping a Ball in a Defined Relief Area:
>  * New dropping procedure: You must drop the ball from knee height.
>  * Defined relief area: The ball needs to be dropped in and played 
> from a single required relief area (whereas today, although you are 
> required
>     to drop a ball in one area, it can roll outside that area and the 
> Rules may require it to be played from outside the area).
>  * Longest club is used to measure the relief area: You use the 
> longest club in your bag, other than a putter, to measure the relief area.
> (2) Lost Ball:
>  * Reduced time for ball search: A ball is lost if not found in three 
> minutes (rather than the current five minutes) after you begin 
> searching for it.
> (3) Embedded Ball:
>  * Relief for embedded ball in the general area: You may take relief 
> if your ball is embedded anywhere (except in sand) in the general area 
> (which is the new term
>     for "through the green"), except where a Local Rule restricts 
> relief to the fairway or similar areas (this reverses the default 
> position in the current Rules).
> (4) Ball to Use in Taking Relief:
>  * Substituting another ball: You may continue to use the original 
> ball or another ball, whenever you take either free relief or penalty 
> relief under a Rule.
>
> *When things happen to your ball in play:*
>
> (1) Ball at Rest Accidentally Moves:
>  * Accidentally moving your ball while searching for it: There is no 
> longer a penalty.
>  * Accidentally moving your ball or ball-marker when it is on the 
> putting green: There is no longer a penalty.
>  * New standard for deciding if you caused your ball to move: You will 
> be found to have caused your ball to move only if that is known or
>     virtually certain (that is, it is at least 95%  likely that you 
> were the cause).
> (2) Replacing a Moved or Lifted Ball:
>  * New procedure when you don't know the exact spot where your ball 
> was at rest: You must replace the ball on its estimated original spot 
> (rather than
>     drop the ball at that spot); and if the estimated spot was on, 
> under or against growing, attached or fixed objects (such as grass), 
> you must replace
>     the ball on, under or against those objects.
> (3) Ball in Motion Accidentally Deflected:
>  * Your ball in motion accidentally hits you, your equipment, your 
> caddie, someone attending the flagstick for you or a removed or attended
>     flagstick: There is no longer a penalty  (such as when your ball 
> bounces off a bunker face and hits you).
> (4) Ball is Struck More Than Once:
>  * Accidentally hitting your ball more than once during a stroke: 
> There is no longer a penalty.
>
> *Penalty Areas:*
>
> * Penalty areas expanded beyond water hazards: Red- and yellow-marked 
> "penalty areas" may now cover areas the Committee decides to
>    mark for this purpose (such as deserts, jungles, or lava rock 
> fields), in addition to areas of water.
> * Expanded use of red penalty areas: Committees are given the 
> discretion to mark all penalty areas as red so that lateral relief is 
> always
>    allowed (but they may still mark penalty areas as yellow where they 
> consider it appropriate).
> * Elimination of opposite side relief option: You are no longer 
> allowed to take relief from a red penalty area on the opposite side 
> from where
>    the ball last entered the penalty area (unless a Committee adopts a 
> Local Rule allowing it).
> * Removal of all special restrictions on moving or touching things in 
> a penalty area: There is no longer a penalty if you touch or move loose
>    impediments (such as leaves, stones and sticks) or touch the ground 
> or water with your hand or your club in a penalty area.
>
> *Bunkers:*
>
>  * Removal of special restrictions on moving loose impediments: There 
> is no longer a penalty if you touch or move loose impediments in a bunker.
>  * Relaxed restrictions on touching the sand with your hand or club 
> when your ball is in a bunker: You are now prohibited only from touching
>     the sand (1) with your hand or club to test the condition of the 
> bunker, (2) with your club in the area right behind or in front of the 
> ball or
>    (3) when making a practice swing or the backswing for your stroke.
> * New unplayable ball relief option: For two penalty strokes, you may 
> take relief outside the bunker by dropping a ball back on the line 
> from the
>    hole through where your ball was at rest in the bunker.
>
> *Equipment you are allowed to use:*
> (1) Damaged Clubs:
>   * Use of damaged clubs: You may keep using any club that is damaged during the round, no matter how it happens (for
>     example, even if you damaged it in anger).
>   * Replacement of damaged clubs: You may not replace a damaged club, unless you were not responsible for causing the damage.
> (2) Damaged Ball:
>   * Substituting another ball for a cut or cracked ball: You may substitute another ball if your ball in play on a hole has
>     become cut or cracked while playing that hole; but you are no longer allowed to change balls solely because the ball has
>     become "out of shape".
> (3) Distance-Measuring Devices:
>   * DMDs allowed: You may use DMDs to measure distance, except when prohibited by Local Rule (this reverses the default
>     position in the current Rules).
>   
> *How You Prepare for and Make a Stroke:*
>
>  * Expanded restriction on caddie help with alignment: Your caddie is 
> not allowed to stand on a line behind you from the time you begin taking
>     your stance until you have made your stroke. Promoting Faster Pace 
> of Play.
>  * Encouraging you to play promptly: It is recommended that you make 
> each stroke in no more than 40 seconds - and usually more quickly than
>     that - once it's your turn to play.
>  * Playing out of turn in stroke play ("ready golf"): This has always 
> been allowed without penalty, and now you are affirmatively encouraged to
>     do so in a safe and responsible way for convenience or to save time.
>  * New alternative form of stroke play: The Rules recognize a new 
> "Maximum Score" form of stroke play, where your score for a hole is capped
>     at a maximum (such as double par or triple bogey) set by the 
> Committee, so that you can pick up and move to the next hole when your 
> score
>     will be at or above the maximum.
>
> *Insisting on High Standards of Conduct and Trusting Player Integrity 
> - Playing in the spirit of the game:*
>
> New provisions are added to reinforce the high standards of conduct expected from all players on the course and the
> Committee’s discretion to disqualify players for serious misconduct.
>   • Code of player conduct: Committees are given authority to adopt their own code of player conduct and to set penalties
>     for the breach of standards in that code.
>   • Elimination of need to announce intent to lift ball: When you have good reason to lift your ball to identify it, to see
>     if it is cut or cracked or to see if you are entitled to relief (such as to see if the ball is embedded), you are no
>     longer required first to announce to another player or your marker that you intend to do so or to give that person an
>     opportunity to observe the process.
>   • Reasonable judgment standard: When you need to estimate or measure a spot, point, line, area or other location under
>     a Rule, your reasonable judgment will not be second-guessed based on later evidence (such as video review) if you did
>     all that could reasonably be expected under the circumstances to estimate or measure accurately.
>
>
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