Add Category
Posted
From humble club hackers to high-profile professionals, the game of golf could be about to change, with the R&A proposing more than 50 new or modified rules to simplify and speed up play.
Among the radical proposals, players will be able to putt on greens with the flag still in the cup and the time allowed to find a lost ball will be slashed from five to three minutes.
Golfers will also no longer be penalised for accidentally moving their ball while searching for it or while addressing putts (taking stance and grounding the club behind the ball).
Key points:
- Golf's rulemakers, the R&A, announce more than 50 proposed changes to the way the game is played.
- Changes include removing penalties for various minor infractions and moves to speed up the pace of play.
- If confirmed, rule changes would come into effect on January 1, 2019.
The R&A — a Scottish-based body which has a governance role in golf along with America's USGA — announced the results of a comprehensive review of the rule book on Wednesday, which it proposes would change the way the game is played at every level.
"The entire rule book has been rewritten," said David Rickman, the R&A's executive director of governance in a teleconference.
"Rule changes happen regularly. This scale of review is something that happens less frequently.
"Probably 1952 and 1984 are the most recent times we've done something of this scale ... but we believe the changes will be good for the sport.
"We have aimed the revisions at the game as a whole so irrespective of ability and irrespective of where in the world you play."
Hoping to remove a raft of "penalty traps" for club golfers, the R&A is also proposing to allow players to take drops from just an inch (2.54cm) above the grass — rather than from waist high — while introducing an "unplayable" option from bunkers that would allow golfers to take a two-stroke penalty for dropping a ball outside the sand.
Rule enforcement a question at club level
While the proposed changes — to come into effect in 2019 — will more easily be enforced on the heavily scrutinised professional tours, Rickman admits some of the amendments will be open to exploitation at club level.
"We are placing even greater onus on player honesty," he said.
"But we think the game has a good record of that. We think the game is better for its self-regulating aspects.
"If players are going to not play by the rules and look to seek advantage, they can do it today (and) I completely accept that we've maybe added a few more that players could sail close to the wind with."
Rickman says the "trade-off" between relaxing many rules and making them more understandable for the average player is worth it.
"Otherwise time will tell whether we're we're deluding ourselves," he said.
Speeding up play a key focus of changes
Almost halving the amount of time for golfers to search for their ball is the rule makers' most significant pace-of-play initiative.
"It's a big change," Rickman said.
"We feel overall that five minutes is a long time when you're looking for a golf ball and we do want the sport to keep moving on and we want players to be prompt.
"Anecdotally, we feel that most balls are found within those first three minutes and if you really can't find the ball in that duration, then I'm afraid that the signs are not good in terms of a successful conclusion.
"We hope that it will encourage players to play more provisional balls."
The R&A has take the extraordinary step of inviting feedback via emails and letters to the club, with all proposals available online from Thursday.
AAP