2019 Rules Update

Happy New Year. I hope that 2019 provides with lots of great golf. Of course being a member of the Am Tour provides you with many opportunities to do just that so you're off to a great start.

By now you are well aware that the Rules of Golf have been modernized. There has been lots of talk about it on many forums. I've given you suggestions on how to get yourself educated in past emails. I know you also received an email recently from the Am Tour with several short videos on some of the main topics.

I'm going to start tackling the Rules I think you're going to need most often while playing in Am Tour tournaments. I'll introduce one or two at a time to keep the firehose as small as possible. Of course the basic principles of golf have not changed, "Play the course as you find and the ball as it lies". The Rules have two aims, to define the game and to provide guidance on what to do when things don't go according to plan.

There are 74 definitions in the modernized Rules. Only a few of them are able to describe their meaning without referring to other definitions. You can't begin to understand the Rules of Golf if you don't know these definitions. Here are some of the new ones you should become familiar with.

Areas of the Course - there are 5.

1. General area (used to be called "through the green"). It's all areas of the course that are not one of the 4 below.
2. Teeing area is where "you" must play from in starting the hole. It does not include other tee boxes on the same hole or on other holes.
3. All Penalty areas (the new name for hazards). There are 2 types, yellow and red, which have basically the same relief options as before except there is no longer an option for "opposite margin" relief from a red penalty area.
4. All Bunkers
5. The Putting Green of the hole being played. Any other green is a Wrong Green and part of the General Area.

Boundary Objects include OB stakes. You still can't move a boundary object if it interferes with your stance or swing but if you realize your mistake and put the stake back before making the stroke there is no penalty (Rule 8.1c).

Club Length is defined as the length of the longest club, other than a putter, in your bag for the round. That means that all measurements are likely to use the length of your driver. You probably used a driver for most measurements in the past but there were times when it would be to your advantage to use a wedge. Now it's not an option.

Drop with the intent to put the ball in play. The “right way” to drop is from knee high without any influence and it must not touch your body or equipment before hitting the ground. If you let go by accident or it doesn’t hit the ground first it’s not a drop. No limit to how many times you re-drop if not the “right way” (Rule 14.3).

Holed when the ball is at rest in the hole and the entire ball is below the putting surface. However when the ball is leaning against the flagstick in the hole it is holed if any part of the ball is below the surface of the putting green. If not and it falls in when you remove the flagstick you have to replace the ball on the lip, without penalty, and knock it in with your next stroke (Rule 13.2c). So make sure the flagstick is centered in the hole before you decide to leave it in while putting.  You can’t lean the flagstick away from you either.

Temporary Water (formerly casual water) I include this definition even though it’s not new because it is frequently misunderstood. It’s not enough for the ground to be squishy or for the water to be momentarily visible as you step. The puddled water must be visible before or remain visible after you take your stance.

Relief Area is where you must drop a ball when taking relief under a Rule. There are three factors to the size and location of a Relief Area specified by the Rule involved. I’ll discuss the most common relief rules later.

1. Reference point is where you measure from
2. Size of the relief area is 1 or 2 club lengths (think driver) from the reference point
3. Limits on it’s location such as only in the General Area or not in a Bunker or a Penalty Area, where there is no interference from the condition your taking relief from and not nearer the hole than the Reference Point.

So now let’s talk about taking Relief. Under the old rules there were times when you were told to drop the ball as near as possible to a spot. For instance if you were taking relief from an Embedded Ball you needed to drop the ball as near as possible to the spot where the ball was embedded. Many of you will recall me saying “try to drop it back in the hole”. Then there were 9 situations that would require you to re-drop, for example, if the ball rolled into a bunker or hazard. As long as the ball didn’t roll forward of the spot where the ball was embedded or more than 2 club lengths from where it first hit the course when you dropped it you were OK to play.

Under the modernized Rules all drops will utilize a Relief Area where the ball must be dropped and remain in. The size and location of the Relief area is defined by the Rule involved. Let’s use an embedded ball as an example. The new Rule (16.3b) tells you that you get free relief from an embedded ball, if it’s in the General Area, and provides the 3 factors of the Relief Area

1. The Reference Point is the spot right behind where the ball is embedded
2. The size of the Relief Area is 1 club length measured from the Reference Point
   
   BUT
    
3. The Relief Area must be in the General Area and not nearer the hole than the Reference Point. Note: this excludes the other 4 Areas of the Course so the Relief  Area doesn’t extend into a Bunker or Penalty Area even if it’s within the one club length.

Here is what that would look like.

Now what? Rule 16.3b also tells you to see Rule 14.3 which you will use every time you are required to Drop a Ball in a Relief Area.

• You may Substitute a ball – don’t have to use the original ball
• Ball has to be dropped in the “right way”
  • Only the Player may drop the ball
  • Ball must be dropped from knee height
    • without exerting influence on the ball
    • does not touch the Player or Equipment on the way down before striking the ground. If you deliberately deflect the ball or position Equipment to deflect the ball you get a 2 stroke penalty.
  • Ball must be dropped in the Relief Area – the Player may stand inside or outside of the Relief Area when dropping
  • If you didn’t drop in the “right way” you have to drop again with no limit on how many times. So get it “right” the first time.
• Ball dropped in “right way” must come to rest in the Relief Area – this means you don’t have to remember the 9 situations which meant you had to re-drop. It also doesn’t matter if the ball, after hitting the ground, touches any person, equipment or outside influence before coming to rest unless it was intentional (a 2 stroke penalty).
  • If the ball comes to rest outside of the Relief Area you must drop a 2nd time.
  • If it still doesn’t stay in the Relief Area you place the ball on the spot where the 2nd drop first hit the ground.
  • If the placed ball won’t stay at rest on that spot you try a 2nd time in the same spot. If it still won’t stay you find the nearest spot it will as long as it isn’t nearer the hole.

If you are still reading here is the reward for doing so. Now that you know that all drops have a defined Relief Area and the ball must stay in that Relief Area this chart should be helpful. You’ll notice that the old adage of 1 club length if free relief, 2 if there is a penalty is no longer true. The only 2 club length relief is for Lateral Relief. All others are 1 club length.

Relief Areas

(a ball may be substituted in all cases)

Relief From (Rule #)	Reference Point	Size in club-lengths	Limits (not nearer the hole)	Penalty
Ball is in or on a Movable Obstruction (15.2)	Estimated point right under where the ball was at rest	1	Same area of the course as Reference Point	None
*Abnormal Course Conditions (16.1b) or Dangerous Animal Condition (16.2b(1)) in General Area	Nearest point of complete relief	1	General Area	None
*Abnormal Course Conditions (16.1c) or Dangerous Animal Condition (16.2b(1)) in Bunker	Nearest point of complete relief or max. relief still in bunker Point outside bunker back on the line from the hole through the original spot without limit to how far	1 1	Bunker Any Area but ball must stay in same area of the course the ball first touched when dropped	None 1 penalty stroke
*Abnormal Course Conditions in Penalty Area	No Relief
Dangerous Animal Condition (16.2B(2)) in Penalty Area	Nearest point of complete relief for Dangerous Animal	1	Penalty Area	None
Embedded Ball (16.3b) in General Area	The spot right behind where the ball is embedded	1	General Area	None
Penalty Areas YELLOW or RED Back on the line Relief (17.1d(2)) RED Penalty Area Only Lateral Relief (17.1d(3)	Any Point on the line going straight back from the hole through the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area The estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the RED penalty area	1 2	Any area except the same penalty area	1 penalty stroke
Unplayable Ball Back on the line Relief (19.2b) Lateral Relief (19.2c)	spot of the original ball Any Point on the line going straight back from the hole through the spot of the original ball	1 2	must come to rest in same area of the course where ball first touched when dropped	1 penalty stroke
Stroke & Distance (14.6) - incl. unplayable (19.2a), ball lost or OB (18.2), Ball in Penalty Area (17.1d(1)), when previous stroke was from General Area, Penalty Area or Bunker	The spot where the previous stroke was made	1	Same area as the reference point	1 penalty stroke

*(incl. Immovable Obstructions, GUR, Temporary Water, animal holes)

• NO Relief when OB, in a penalty area or when clearly unreasonable to play your ball
• Ball may be played as it lies unless there is interference from a NO PLAY ZONE.
• You may take relief if your ball is not found and it is KNOWN or VIRTUALLY CERTAIN to be in/on an Abnormal Course Condition.

Enough for today. Next time I’ll address Rule changes.