New R&A Rules from 1/1/19

clog

The official changes & amendments have been released.

https://www.randa.org/News/2018/03/New-Rules-of-Golf-unveiled-by-The-RA-and-USGA?utm_campaign=354829_Golfs%20Modernised%20Rules%20Released&utm_medium=email&utm_source=R%26A&dm_i=49MT,7LSD,13OSIY,TN2W,1

Seve OB

clog wrote: »

The official changes & amendments have been released.

https://www.randa.org/News/2018/03/New-Rules-of-Golf-unveiled-by-The-RA-and-USGA?utm_campaign=354829_Golfs%20Modernised%20Rules%20Released&utm_medium=email&utm_source=R%26A&dm_i=49MT,7LSD,13OSIY,TN2W,1

first thing I picked up is you may never ever have to hit a provisional ball again

Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative to Stroke and Distance: A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. It addresses concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. (Key change: this is a new addition to support pace of play)

HighLine

Seve OB wrote: »

first thing I picked up is you may never ever have to hit a provisional ball again

Thankfully just a local rule option and at that, it's a farcical introduction IMO. Not that hard to just play a provisional ball if a player thinks his first may be in trouble.

Elsewhere, I see they have thankfully gone back to the measuring of relief distances using a club rather than inches.
Also dropping is now from knee height rather than from just off the ground.

Seve OB

HighLine wrote: »

Thankfully just a local rule option and at that, it's a farcical introduction IMO. Not that hard to just play a provisional ball if a player thinks his first may be in trouble.

Elsewhere, I see they have thankfully gone back to the measuring of relief distances using a club rather than inches.
Also dropping is now from knee height rather than from just off the ground.

agree with all that

Russman

HighLine wrote: »

Thankfully just a local rule option and at that, it's a farcical introduction IMO. Not that hard to just play a provisional ball if a player thinks his first may be in trouble.

Elsewhere, I see they have thankfully gone back to the measuring of relief distances using a club rather than inches.
Also dropping is now from knee height rather than from just off the ground.

Completely agree its farcical ! Pandering to the lazy ba$tards who couldn't be arsed to hit a provo or to go back - I mean, realistically, how often does it happen that you need to hit a provo ? I suspect its inclusion is a result of US feedback, from reading other forums.
Plus, with it being a local rule you'll have different courses having it and not having it.

Not a big fan of not having to announce you're identifying your ball either, too open to abuse IMO.

ForeRight

Anything about repairing spike marks on the green?

HighLine

ForeRight wrote: »

Anything about repairing spike marks on the green?

Yes, players will be able to repair spike marks from 2019. #speedupthegame

Seve OB

ForeRight wrote: »

Anything about repairing spike marks on the green?

yea no problem fixing anything on the green or touching the line

slave1

Seve OB wrote: »

first thing I picked up is you may never ever have to hit a provisional ball again

This is that they do in the states, I've played with quite a few Americans and the have a quick look and then drop with 2 stoke penalty, keeps the game moving

HighLine

slave1 wrote: »

This is that they do in the states, I've played with quite a few Americans and the have a quick look and then drop with 2 stoke penalty, keeps the game moving

Or... you could just hit a provisional off the tee like 99% of golfers do over here. Also keeps things moving. Rather than Paddy dropping a ball in the middle of the fairway 100 yards further on than where his actual lost drive went.

Seve OB

slave1 wrote: »

This is that they do in the states, I've played with quite a few Americans and the have a quick look and then drop with 2 stoke penalty, keeps the game moving

i disagree with it big time.

fine for a casual game.

in matchplay though...... fella sticks a ball miles down but it goes ob. how many times have we hit 2 balls in a row ob????? to many to mention and it is a quick lost hole.
but of course a reload can be a gentle one half the distance or find other trouble behind a tree/bush/bunker. of course he could flush one, but advantage deffo lies with opposition.

now all he has to do is drop one down where he hit it out of play...... advantage is lost big time for the guy who stayed in play

Mantis Toboggan

So if the tee shot goes ob and he drops one where he thinks went in, is he playing his 3rd or 4th shot?

martinkop

Tyson Fury wrote: »

So if the tee shot goes ob and he drops one where he thinks went in, is he playing his 3rd or 4th shot?

He'd be playing his 4th.

seamie78

4th its a two stroke penalty

Russman

Seve OB wrote: »

i disagree with it big time.

fine for a casual game.

in matchplay though...... fella sticks a ball miles down but it goes ob. how many times have we hit 2 balls in a row ob????? to many to mention and it is a quick lost hole.
but of course a reload can be a gentle one half the distance or find other trouble behind a tree/bush/bunker. of course he could flush one, but advantage deffo lies with opposition.

now all he has to do is drop one down where he hit it out of play...... advantage is lost big time for the guy who stayed in play

I think the two shot penalty somewhat mitigates that though, no ?

I wouldn't be the biggest fan of the rule to be honest, I think it takes away from the spirit of golfing your ball round the full course.

Seve OB

Russman wrote: »

I think the two shot penalty somewhat mitigates that though, no ?

I wouldn't be the biggest fan of the rule to be honest, I think it takes away from the spirit of golfing your ball round the full course.

no because a fella can quite easily put 2 out of bounds. in matchplay then thats 5 off the tee, and more often than not hole lost. plenty of times playing 3 off the tee can still win holes

Keano

Seve OB wrote: »

no because a fella can quite easily put 2 out of bounds. in matchplay then thats 5 off the tee, and more often than not hole lost. plenty of times playing 3 off the tee can still win holes

You shouldn't be losing the hole to someone who is playing their 4th shot where you are hitting your second. There is a tiny chance of them getting up and down!

RoadRunner

Keano wrote: »

You shouldn't be losing the hole to someone who is playing their 4th shot where you are hitting your second.

Hope @charlieIRL doesn't see this!

ForeRight

With it being a local rule maybe clubs won't allow it in matchplay events or the likes but I can see the logic in it for a medal at our level of golf where someone could easily be struggling to get off the tee on a very tight shot with OOB and trees etc in play.

A player may have hit a couple OOB and maybe into trees where they can't find it and they've to keep re hitting. It's terribly slow in a strokes event at our level of play as it is and this will help keep things moving a little better. Only a little though.

Seve OB

Keano wrote: »

You shouldn't be losing the hole to someone who is playing their 4th shot where you are hitting your second. There is a tiny chance of them getting up and down!

i agree you shouldn't but it is very easily done.

Russman

Seve OB wrote: »

no because a fella can quite easily put 2 out of bounds. in matchplay then thats 5 off the tee, and more often than not hole lost. plenty of times playing 3 off the tee can still win holes

I agree someone could put a second ball out, but I've rarely seen it to be honest in a match (unless its say, someone cutting dogleg with their provo, knowing its a matchplay risk free situation). I can see your point though, in theory player A could have his ball but still be in big trouble whereas player B could be playing 4 from the fairway in a nice position. I don't like this rule but I think looking at the potential for another bad shot doesn't really work IMO. Chances are, most, or at least a good portion, of the time the player will be playing from where there's a fair chance he'd have hit his 3rd to anyway.

ForeRight wrote: »

this will help keep things moving a little better. Only a little though.

This is the bit for me that doesn't really stack up - in reality how often does someone having to go back, actually stack up the course. If we're down to this as being a cause of slow play then we've solved an awful lot of bigger issues !

ForeRight

I've seen balls lost in rough or what appeared to be perfect from the tee in play lots of times.

So you'd have people searching for a ball for 3 minutes to then have to go walk all the way back and hit again. There is always someone then on the tee waiting to play. It's a horrible situation then add in all this happening on a hole that has danger off the tee like OOB or a bottle neck of trees tee shot. The person hits OOB or into the trees in a medal.

I can see how easily a course can turn to shambolic pace quite quickly

slave1

HighLine wrote: »

Or... you could just hit a provisional off the tee like 99% of golfers do over here. Also keeps things moving. Rather than Paddy dropping a ball in the middle of the fairway 100 yards further on than where his actual lost drive went.

Seve OB wrote: »

i disagree with it big time.

fine for a casual game.

in matchplay though...... fella sticks a ball miles down but it goes ob. how many times have we hit 2 balls in a row ob????? to many to mention and it is a quick lost hole.
but of course a reload can be a gentle one half the distance or find other trouble behind a tree/bush/bunker. of course he could flush one, but advantage deffo lies with opposition.

now all he has to do is drop one down where he hit it out of play...... advantage is lost big time for the guy who stayed in play

Hey, I was just posting that it's US guys that I've seen doing it and remember casual rounds count towards their handicap so rounds where they do this two stroke thingy are "counting" rounds.
Personally I have no problem with continuing with provisional ball but there are times when even that can be abused, guys a bit rusty just hitting provisional balls to loosen up or sort out some swing issue mid round, "that balls fine, you'll get it no problem" - - - "ah sure I'll just hit a provisional".

I'd say if the ball in question is lost nowhere near a hazard or OOB e.g. over the crest of a fairway in the rough between two holes then it appears logical as that can be a situation where a golfer would not expect to hit a provisional especially if unfamiliar with the course, just drop, take the two stroke penalty and keep the game moving

slave1

I like the one about not having to have the flag pulled when putting, often found myself at front of huge green and having to wait for someone to go up and attend, such a waste of time

Montgolfier

The local rule for ob needs a little clarification. Are we to let our opponent estimate where it went out of bounds!??

Then drop on the fairways! I've seen fellas looking for their ball 60 yards ahead of where it was eventually found.
Can you imagine those guys estimate where their ball went out.
I hope no course brings that in as a local rule in Ireland.

HighLine

Another good introduction is relief from an embedded ball through the green (the entire course except hazards and teebox&green of hole being played). It always annoyed me watching the professionals getting relief from a plugged ball through the green but us amateurs are expected to hack it out (or take an unplayable) when our ball plugs in semi/rough.

The 40 seconds per shot is far too long. Count that out in your head and pretend you're standing over a ball. It should be at least half that time.

mike12

For ob I'm happy enough that it's the same as a water hazard but a extra stroke penalty.
Lost ball it will speed up the game but harder to judge where it's lost.
We need to know can u still hit provisional and then decide I'll take a drop from the first.
An unplayable ball can u take the same option, if u can only go back and play from the original spot.

Rikand

I like all the changes but worry that the spike marks one could be manipulated to repair every single tiny little tarnish on the greens and thus increase time.

Jawgap

Montgolfier wrote: »

The local rule for ob needs a little clarification. Are we to let our opponent estimate where it went out of bounds!??

Then drop on the fairways! I've seen fellas looking for their ball 60 yards ahead of where it was eventually found.
Can you imagine those guys estimate where their ball went out.
I hope no course brings that in as a local rule in Ireland.

If you're not happy then I think the option remains of reporting the player (in strokes) for playing from the wrong spot or indicating you intend to lodge a protest in matchplay.

I'm guessing in a group the player who went oob won't be the final arbiter of where the ball went out, or if it was lost where it was lost.

I think they need to clarify what "in the vicinity" means in more specific terms - so you can't just drop back in the middle of the fairway when your ball when 50 yards into the rough.

Personally, I think the option of a local rule represents a bit of common sense and it can always be suspended for certain competitions, if local committees are minded to introduce it in the first place.

Russman

Montgolfier wrote: »

The local rule for ob needs a little clarification. Are we to let our opponent estimate where it went out of bounds!??

I think it'll end up being like a water hazard where you'd agree with your opponent where the ball crossed. Obviously there could be arguments / different opinions etc.

Jawgap wrote: »

I think they need to clarify what "in the vicinity" means in more specific terms - so you can't just drop back in the middle of the fairway when your ball when 50 yards into the rough.

The video and the diagram below cover it nicely. You don't get to go back to the middle of the fairway, at best you'll get two club lengths into the fairway from the nearest edge, not nearer the hole than where you estimate the ball is lost.

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization/major-changes/golfs-new-rules-stroke-and-distance.html

Russman

mike12 wrote: »

We need to know can u still hit provisional and then decide I'll take a drop from the first.

Part of the text from the sample local rule:


"But with these limits:
Limits on Location of Relief Area:

• Must be in the general area, and
• Must not be nearer the hole than the ball reference point.

But, the player may not use this option when:

• The ball is known or virtually certain to have come to rest in a penalty area, or
• The player has played another ball provisionally under penalty of stroke and distance (see Rule 18.3).”