New Rules of Golf - 2019

fnufan

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization.html

https://www.rules.golf/

Weirfan

Good stuff

Rickochet

I am still confused about the double hit rule. I never knew that there was an actual penalty. The way the rule was explained to me is that you get charge for each time the ball hit the club face, usually two strokes. So, now for a double hit do you only get charged one stroke?

PA-PLAYA

Rickochet

I’ve never seen someone hit the ball three times during a single attempt. Not saying it hasn’t happened, just that it’s extremely rare.

The easiest way to look at it is (1) you made an attempt to hit the ball and did, so like normal- that’s one stroke. Then immediately after that you hit your ball while it was in motion, so that’s a 1-shot penalty, in addition to counting the original stroke.

Rickochet

I just found this:

Rule 14-4;
“If a player's club strikes the ball more than once in the course of a stroke, the player must count the stroke and add a penalty stroke, making two strokes in all.”
Many golfers are confused as to whether they have to count the times they hit the ball (e.g. twice) as well as the penalty stroke. You will see from the wording of the Rule above that this is not the case. There is only one stroke at the ball and one penalty stroke; no matter how many times the ball is hit during the course of that stroke.

So, I guess under the new change a double hit only counts a total of one stroke.

ode

Poor TC Chen.

PA-PLAYA

ode

I (think) I've only done this maybe 2 times during the entire time I've been playing. At least from what I can remember anyway.

Thankfully it never happened in a tournament.

But... the humiliation is something that hangs around for a long while. I remember telling myself, over and over, that last time it happened, "keep the club head moving through the shot." Because (for me) it usually tended to happen when I decelerated. And both occasions happened with the lie of the ball was really, really bad around the green.

It's usually synonymous with pitches/chip shots from close range. But I actually witnessed a guy last season who double-hit from the fairway. He took about 6 inches of turf behind the ball, barely moving the ball, then his follow-through hit the ball again.

The guy is a really good player too... just a horrible, horrible swing. I told him afterward, "you couldn't do that again in a hundred years." Just a fluke instance where everything that could go wrong, did.

Shit happens.

fnufan

Currently multiple hits (ie one stroke and one or more unintentional hits) counts as one stroke and one penalty.
From 2019 this will only count as one stroke without any penalty.

Of course, hitting the ball intentionally a second time counts as an additional stroke plus two penalty strokes for playing a moving ball. This does not change.

fnufan

I guess this gets a penalty 😲

Rickochet

Here is a link for a summary of the changes.
http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization/major-changes/major-changes.html

rsvman

PA-PLAYA I once played a round in which a guy not only double hit the ball from the fairway, but managed to hit it backwards quite some distance by the second hit happening near the follow-through.

Don't ask me how he did it. I'm sure he couldn't do it again if you gave him a thousand tries.

Spuzz

Now guys can drop balls out of their pocket "legally"
LOL

PA-PLAYA

rsvman

Damn.

When I have a bad day and contemplate hanging up the clubs for good, I'll think of this.

I can't think of anything more humiliating than that.

Natpharm

rsvman I just laughed out loud at that. Thank you

ode

rsvman sounds like a trick shot!

ZWExton

PA-PLAYA I watched a buddy of mine hit a wedge shot so fat once that he dug all the way under the ball, creating a little ramp in the ground that rolled the ball backwards about 4 inches.

No penalty shot, technically... But, yikes.

Provisional

Stroke and distance for OB will change to 2 strokes and drop where the OB went out by local rule to allowed should speed up play for those not already doing it outside the rules?

fnufan

Rickochet

No you don't play from where the ball went out. You move to the fairway (not nearer the hole than where it went out). Determine the relief area and play from anywhere in that area with a 2 stroke penalty.

See this link for a full explanation and very good video.
http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization/major-changes/golfs-new-rules-stroke-and-distance.html

Weirfan

fnufan

The other important thing to remember is this ( and a few others) are not universal in their application.....they are only additional options available to local rules commitees. As such its entirely possible that leagues and competions etc could choose to stick with the S &D rule as it is now. A recreational player may still choose to play by the existing S& D rule. For example, if i snap hook or pull a ball left that goes OB 150 yards out, i'm probably going to rehit ( shooting 3) from the tee and hopefully play my 4th shot to the green from a point 250 yards ahead rather than hit 4 (original tee shot plus 2 penalty strokes under new option ) from only 150 yards ahead.

""The purpose of this Local Rule is to allow a Committee to provide an extra relief option that means that a player may play on without returning to the location of the previous stroke."

At least now though amateurs have another option. Pros and elite level events will continue as before.

Rickochet

fnufan No you don't play from where the ball went out. You move to the fairway (not nearer the hole than where it went out). Determine the relief area and play from anywhere in that area with a 2 stroke penalty.

I misunderstood. Thanks for the clarification.

fnufan

Rickochet

Yo may be confusing two new rules.
1) see post above
2) Merging water hazards, lateral water hazards and disaster areas (ravines, jungle etc) into one new Penalty Area.
Relief from such an area would cost 1 PS and the process would be the same as a yellow WH if it is marked yellow. If it is marked red, there is an option to play from the side (a la re WH) BUT not to be able to play from the 'other side'.
If you choose to play it as it lies in the PA, then you may ground your club, touch the ground on a practice swing and move loose impediments.

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization/major-changes/areas-the-committee-may-mark-as-penalty-areas.html