The Rules of Golf Column will address a number of current issues with the Rules and also discuss certain aspects of the Rules in more depth.

Written by John Morrissett, the Competitions Director at Erin Hills. John is the former Director, Rules of Golf for the United States Golf Association. The comments reflect his opinion and are not necessarily official rulings by the R&A or USGA.

Erin Hills observes the rules of the USGA. For the complete rules, follow this link: USGA Rules.

The R&A and USGA have announced the primary changes to the Rules of Golf for 2012. The Rules themselves have a self-imposed four-year revision cycle to ensure that any changes are well thought out. After all, changing the way a game that is hundreds of years old is played is not something to be done lightly.

Let’s look at the more significant Rules changes for 2012:

Rule 1-2 (Exerting Influence on Movement of Ball or Altering Physical Conditions)
This change may not be readily appreciated as significant as breaches of this Rule are somewhat rare, but a tremendous amount of effort went into having this fundamental Rule address several situations that previously did not have clear answers (e.g., see new Decision 1-2/3 Breaking Bush in Area into Which Ball May Roll After Drop) and having its text clearly support previous rulings. The previous version prohibited a player from influencing the “position” of the ball, and there were differing views as to the meaning of “position.” The new text addressing “physical conditions” makes the meaning more clear. Serious Rules students should take the time to understand the changes to this Rule and its ramifications (with some assistance from new and revised Decisions).

Rule 6-3a (Time of Starting)
This change will not, in practice, affect many golfers, but it will eliminate confusion. The previous Rule provided for disqualification if a player missed his starting time, even if by just one minute. However, there was an optional condition of competition that allowed a Committee to penalize the player just loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play for being less than five minutes late (with disqualification beyond five minutes). As almost every Committee adopted this five-minute condition of competition, most golfers (and Committees!) believed the five-minute provision was actually the Rule itself. The revised Rule will make that misconception the case, as in 2012 the Rule itself will provide for the five-minute period for a lesser penalty. Among other benefits, this change will save Committees space on the Local Rules sheet for competitions as this condition no longer needs to be enacted.

Rule 12-1 (Seeing Ball; Searching for Ball)
In addition to being reformatted for clarity, a notable change was made to the Rule. Previously, there had been no penalty for moving a ball while searching for it in a hazard when covered by loose impediments (e.g., leaves) while there was a penalty for the same act through the green (e.g., the rough). Many people considered this result curious as the player whose ball was in a hazard was treated more favorably than the player whose ball was not in a hazard. With the change, a ball covered by loose impediments moved during search will be treated the same both in hazards and through the green - with a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a. Changes such as this one are steps towards the goal of simplifying the Rules.

This Rule also now allows a player to move sand through the green when searching for his ball. Previously, if a player believed his ball was completely embedded in a sand dune (i.e., not a bunker), he was not allowed to move sand to search for the ball as doing so would be a breach of Rule 13-2 (by improving the lie of the ball). This new permission addresses rare instances, but it too removes a dissimilarity from the Rules.

Rule 13-4, Exception 2 (Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions)
Previously, except in rare circumstances, a player or his caddie was not entitled to rake a bunker before the player’s first shot from it. The reason was that such raking would be considered “testing the condition” of the bunker (i.e., the player might learn about the depth of the sand). Over the years, that position led to a number of unfortunate penalties for well-meaning players. For example, a player’s ball lies in the front of a long bunker; on the way to his ball, the player retrieves a rake from the back of the bunker, some 15 yards behind his ball, and instinctively tidies up the marks in the bunker caused by the lifting of the rake. Until January 1, 2012, the player is in breach of the Rules. Effective next year, there will be no penalty. This change is a positive one as (1) it is difficult to argue that a player could gain more useful information by raking than by digging in with his feet (which he is allowed to do), (2) players often breach this Rule while practicing proper etiquette (caring for the course), (3) this Rule is repeatedly breached by unknowing golfers at all levels and (4) the Rule already allowed raking before a second shot from the bunker. It is important to keep in mind that the raking, whether before a first or subsequent stroke from the bunker, may not breach Rule 13-2 (e.g., improve the area of intended stance for the next stroke).

Rule 18-2b (Ball Moving After Address)
To date, the Rules have deemed the player to have caused his ball to move if the ball moves after he has addressed it (taken his stance and grounded his club, except in a hazard when the player has addressed the ball by just taking his stance). The principle was that it was more than just a coincidence that the ball moved after the player had taken an action so close to the ball. This Rule painted a clear line for both players and officials.

The first incident that brought Rule 18-2b into question during this Rules cycle occurred at the unusually windy 2008 British Open at Royal Birkdale. A player’s ball lay in a bunker, and he was wary of even approaching the ball as he was concerned that the strong winds could cause the ball to move at any moment. He carefully approached the ball and took his stance, and the ball moved. There was no doubt that the wind caused the ball to move, yet the Rules insisted on a penalty. This situation caused concern as there was no way the player could have protected himself from penalty (as he could do through the green or on the putting green by not grounding his club).

There were subsequent situations, often on the putting green, that brought this Rule under even more scrutiny. While the existing Rule is easy to apply, there was concern that it meted out penalties in some situations where it was clear that the player had not caused the ball to move.

The 2012 version of the Rules removes the issue of the player’s stance by providing that a player has addressed the ball when he grounds his club immediately behind or in front of the ball (so now a player in a hazard is not considered to have addressed the ball if he merely takes his stance). The Rule now contains an exception providing that the Rule does not apply (i.e., there is no penalty) if it is clear that something else (e.g., wind) caused the ball to move. This change ensures that a penalty will be incurred only if the player’s actions warrant such.

Rule 20-7c (Playing from a Wrong Place; Stroke Play)
In 2008, the Rules were changed to provide for a total penalty of two strokes (and not the previous four strokes) for a player who plays from a wrong place with an improperly substituted ball (e.g., a player drops a different ball in a wrong place when taking relief from a cart path and plays it). For 2012, a related change has been made to limit the total penalty when a player plays from a wrong place. The new Rule provides for a total penalty of two strokes if a player plays from a wrong place and also used an improper method to put the ball into play (e.g., placed the ball instead of dropping it). This change removes some inconsistencies in the Rules and provides that the penalty does not get out of line with regard to the player’s infraction. In this case, if a player plays from a wrong place, should the Rules really care about how the ball came to be in that spot?

Changes to the Decisions on the Rules of Golf
Anytime there are changes to the Rules, the Decisions will inevitably be affected to ensure that they are consistent with the changes and, as necessary, they can clarify key changes. Below are the more notable changes to the Decisions for 2012:

• 1-4/12 Player Breaches Rules More Than Once; Whether Multiple Penalties Should Be Applied (Revised): This Decision provides guidance for situations where a player has breached several Rules or has breached one Rule more than once. Some Rules (e.g., carrying more than 14 clubs) contain their own penalty caps, and this Decision provides guidance for other situations where a player has breached several Rules or has breached the same Rule more than once. Much of this Decision has been tweaked, and the most significant change is the replacement of the concept of “similar acts” with “related acts.” This new description more accurately describes the intended meaning.
• 4-4a/6 Excess Club Put in Player’s Golf Bag (Revised): This revision takes some of the sting out of a widely unpopular ruling. This situation happened to Phil Mickelson at a collegiate event when, just as Mickelson was about to tee off on the 1st hole, a teammate of his placed his putter in Mickelson’s bag (as the team bags looked alike). Mickelson then teed off and was penalized for starting his round with 15 clubs. This revision allows for no penalty in narrow circumstances (e.g., when the other club is put into the bag after the player’s starting time).
• 9-3/1 Competitor in Hole-by-Hole Play-Off Gives Wrong Information (Revised): Like Decision 4-4a/6, this one was a candidate for the least popular ruling. In the Decision, two players are in a hole-by-hole play-off in stroke play. One player tells his fellow-competitor his (the player’s) incorrect score for the hole, causing the fellow-competitor to lift his ball from the green without having marked its position because he thought the hole was over. The fellow-competitor then learns that his putt was in fact to tie the hole and continue the play-off. In stroke play, there is no penalty for giving incorrect information regarding scores during the round, but the fellow-competitor was penalized a stroke for lifting his ball from the green without having marked its location. With this revision, there is no penalty to the fellow-competitor in these special circumstances.
• 13-2/0.5 Meaning of “Improve” in Rule 13-2 (New): This Decision was not affected by a Rules change, but it is helpful in that it articulates a key point of Rule 13-2 – when an area is considered to have been “improved.” (Rule 13-2 prohibits a player from improving, through certain actions, the lie of the ball, area of intended stance or swing, line of play or the area where he is to drop or place a ball. This Rule is the one that prohibits, for example, a player from breaking a tree branch that interferes with his swing.) This Decision introduces the concept that “improve” means “to change for the better so that the player gains a potential advantage.” This Decision provides the best explanation of how to rule with a player under a tree who knocks down leaves with his practice swing. While knocking down one leaf might make his area of intended swing “better,” doing so would not give him a “potential advantage” if there remained many leaves (in which case there would be no breach as both criteria (“better” and “potential advantage”) were not met).
• 14-3/17 Player Listens to Music or Broadcast During Round (New): This Decision represents a change in position by the R&A and USGA, as to date it has not been a breach of the Rules to listen to music during a round. (Remember “Disco” Dick Zokol and his Walkman in the 1980s?) This new position prohibits listening to music for a “prolonged period” as doing so might help the player with his tempo or block distractions.
• 33-7/4.5 Competitor Unaware of Penalty Returns Wrong Score; Whether Waiving or Modifying Disqualification Penalty Justified (Revised): The R&A and USGA took the unusual step in April 2011 of announcing this revision and making it effective immediately, even though it fell outside the normal revision schedule. This revision lets the player off the hook for a score card error in stroke play when he could not have been reasonably aware of the facts that led to the breach (which in turn led to the score card error).

General
Several people have characterized this batch of Rules and Decisions changes as “player friendly,” a reasonable generalization given the change to Rule 18-2b, the new penalty cap under Rule 20-7c and the change in the answers to several Decisions. In several cases (e.g., Decisions 4-4a/6, 9-3/1 and 33-7/4.5), the R&A and USGA have certainly gone out of their way to exempt the player from what many would consider unreasonable penalties.

In addition, progress was made on issues that have been around for years (e.g., Decision 26-1/1.3 When is it Necessary to Go Forward to Establish “Virtual Certainty”). Some inconsistencies have been eliminated. A record number of Decisions have been withdrawn in an effort to keep the Decisions book a manageable size and to ensure that Decisions meet strict criteria in order to be published. Committees were given guidance on dealing with incorrect rulings (e.g., Decision 34-3/1.3 Competitor Incorrectly Advised to Cancel Stroke).

All in all, there is something for everyone in the changes for 2012.