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THE RULES
OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE
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WINTER 2019
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obsports.com
A
t long last, he governing bod-
ies of golf – the United States
Golf Association and the
Royal & Ancient Golf Club –
have instituted new rules in 2019 that were
designed to simplify the game and, best of
all, actually involve common sense.
Nearly 300 years after the Rules of Golf
were first published, it was long past time
to make sweeping changes to modernize
the game, make the rules easier to under-
stand and less punitive, improve pace of
play and make the game more enjoyable
for golfers of all skill levels.
Some of the changes already have been
well-received by tour pros, such as the one
eliminating penalties for accidentally mov-
ing a ball or ball marker on the putting
green – we'll call it the "Dustin Johnson
Rule." Ditto for eliminating penalties re-
sulting from TV viewers emailing or call-
ing in to say they spotted a violation –
we'll call it the "Lexi Thompson Rule." If
an infraction can't be seen by the naked
eye, it is no longer a penalty, either. That's
also a great change in this era of high-defi-
nition, slow-motion, stop-action TV.
But there also are welcome rule changes
that will affect everyday amateurs, recre-
ational players and, yes, once-a-year hack-
ers and duffers.
A select sampling of new rules that I
wholeheartedly endorse include…
> If you hit a drive out of bounds you
no longer have to hit your next shot
from the tee. Or if you can't find your tee
ball in the landing area or woods or deep
rough, you no longer have to go back to
the tee. Instead of a stroke-and-distance
penalty, a new local rule allows the option
of dropping a ball in the vicinity of where
you lost it or where you think it went out
of bounds and hitting your fourth shot
from the fairway. Hallelujah!
A lot of us already took this liberty, but
now it's legal. And it definitely will speed
up play. It also will prevent hackers from
hitting more than one ball out of bounds
from the tee – one per hole, that is.
By the way, reducing your search from
five to three minutes for a lost ball also is a
welcome change. But I'm in favor of one
minute after it's your turn to hit.
> There is no longer a penalty for a
double-hit on a chip shot. And who has-
n't done that a few times from the deep
rough around a green?
It's too late to help T.C. Chen, who lost
HOT
LINKS
›› VIDEO EXTRA! The
updated Rules of Golf went
into effect on January 1, 2019.
Courtesy of the USGA, here's
a look at how some of the
biggest changes will affect
what you do on the course.
›› EXPLORE in detail the
most impactful rule changes.
A NEW BALL GAME
n RULE CHANGES MAKE GOLF MORE ENJOYABLE BY randY YounGman
WATCH! Monarch Beach Golf Links PGA
Director of Golf Brandon Delgado explains
a few of the new rules in play for 2019.
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