2019 USGA & GCNJ "Local Rules"

Ball at Rest

1. - Ball Moved During Search
No penalty for accidentally moving your ball during search.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 7.4, if a player accidentally moves his or her ball while searching for it:

• The player will get no penalty for causing it to move, and

• The ball will always be replaced; if the exact spot is not known, the player will replace the ball on the estimated original spot (including on, under or against any attached natural or man-made objects which the ball had been at rest under or against).

2. - No Penalty for Moving Ball on the Putting Green
No penalty for accidentally moving your ball or ball-marker on the putting green.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 13.1d, there will no longer be a penalty if a player (or opponent) accidentally causes the player’s ball to move on the putting green.

3. - Standard for Deciding Why a Ball Moved
New standard to determine if you caused your ball to move.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 9.2, the “known or virtually certain” standard (meaning at least 95% likely) will apply to all questions of fact about why a ball at rest moved:

• A player, opponent or outside influence will be found to have caused the ball to move if the player, opponent or outside influence was known or virtually certain to have caused it to move; otherwise it will be assumed that natural forces caused it to move.

4. - Replacing Ball When Original Spot is Not Known

2019 Rule: Under Rule 14.2c, in that same situation:

• The ball will always be placed on a spot rather than being dropped.

• If the exact original spot is not known, the player will be required to replace the ball on its estimated spot (including on, under or against any attached natural objects that the ball had been at rest on, under or against).

When the original location of your ball is not known, replace it on its estimated spot.
 

5. - Ball in Motion Accidentally Deflected
No penalty if your ball in motion is accidentally deflected by you, your equipment, or your caddie.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 11.1, for all accidental deflections, including when the ball hits the player or opponent or their equipment or caddies:

• There will be no penalty and the ball will be played as it lies (with limited exceptions).

• To address any concern that a player might deliberately position equipment to act as a backstop and potentially deflect his or her ball, there will be a penalty if the ball hits equipment that was positioned for that purpose (Rule 11.2a).

Taking Relief

6. - Measuring the Size of the Relief Area Where a Ball Must Be Dropped and Played
Your relief area for dropping a ball will be a fixed size of either one or two club-lengths using the longest club in your bag, other than your putter.

2019 Rule: Players will continue to drop a ball when taking relief, but the dropping procedure will be changed in several ways as detailed in Rule 14.3:

• The focus of the dropping procedure will be on a specific “relief area” set by the Rule under which relief is being taken and will be either one or two club-lengths from a reference point (and may have certain other limitations).

• The relief area is a fixed size for each player and is pre-determined based on the clubs the player has selected for play.

7. - New Procedure for Dropping a Ball
Your ball must be let go from knee height and fall through the air without touching any part of your body or equipment.

2019 Rule: Players will continue to drop a ball when taking relief, but the dropping procedure will be changed in several ways as detailed in Rule 14.3:

• How a ball may be dropped is simplified; the only requirement will be that the ball be let go from knee height so that it falls through the air and does not touch any part of the player’s body or equipment before it hits the ground.
   

8. - Where a Dropped Ball Must Come to Rest
Your ball must come to rest in the relief area where it was dropped, or else it must be redropped

2019 Rule: Players will continue to drop a ball when taking relief, but the dropping procedure will be changed in several ways as detailed in Rule 14.3:

• The ball will need only to be dropped in and come to rest in the relief area; and there will be no re-drop requirement if the dropped ball accidentally hits a person or object after hitting the ground but before coming to rest in the relief area.

• If the dropped ball comes to rest outside the relief area, it will be dropped a second time; if it comes to rest outside the relief area after being dropped a second time it will be placed where it first touched the ground.

• If the placed ball will not come to rest on that spot after two attempts, the player will then place the ball on the nearest spot (not nearer the hole) where it will come to rest.
   

9. - Fixed Distances to be Used for Measuring
A fixed distance of the longest club in your bag, other than your putter, will be used for measuring.

2019 Rule: A club-length will be defined as the length of the longest club in the player’s bag, except that this cannot be his or her putter.

• The relief area for dropping a ball will be a fixed size of either one or two club-lengths

• The relief area is a fixed size for each player and is pre-determined based on the clubs the player has selected for play.
   

10. - Time For Search Before Ball is Lost
Your ball is lost if not found in three minutes (rather than the current 5 minutes).

2019 Rule: Under Rule 18.2, the time for a ball search (before the ball becomes lost) will be reduced from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.

11. - Substitution of Ball Always Allowed When Taking Relief
You may always substitute a ball when taking relief.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 14.3, when taking relief, the player will always be allowed the choice to substitute a ball or to use the original ball, including:

• When taking penalty relief as well as when taking free relief (Rules 15-19).

Reasons for Change:

The requirement to use the original ball in some relief situations but not others is confusing, hard to remember and leads to unnecessary penalties. Taking a consistent approach that always allows a player taking relief the choice to substitute a ball or use the original ball is much simpler.  

There is no need for a different procedure based on whether the player is taking relief with penalty or without penalty.

This will also draw a clearer and more intuitive line between when substitution is allowed in returning a ball to play and when the original ball must be returned to play:

• Substitution will be allowed only when a player is taking relief under any Rule – that is, when the player is required or allowed to play the next stroke from somewhere other than where the original ball came to rest.

• Substitution will not be allowed when a ball was lifted or moved, and the Rules require it to be replaced on its original spot – in that case, the original ball must still be used (unless it cannot be recovered with reasonable effort and in a few seconds).

12. - Relief For an Embedded Ball
Relief allowed without penalty for an embedded ball anywhere (except in sand) in the “general area” (a new term for “through the green”).

2019 Rule: The current default position in the Rules will be reversed:

• Rule 16.3 will allow relief for a ball embedded anywhere in the “general area” (that is, the area currently known as “through the green”), except when embedded in sand.

• But a Committee may adopt a Local Rule restricting relief to a ball embedded in those parts of the general area cut to fairway height or less.

• In taking relief, the player will drop the original ball or a substituted ball within one club-length of (but not nearer the hole than) the spot right behind where the ball was embedded.

13. - Procedure for Taking Lateral Relief
In taking lateral relief, you will drop within two club-lengths of where your ball entered the penalty area. The size of a club-length will always be measured using the longest club in your bag, other than your putter.

2019 Rule: Players will continue to drop a ball when taking relief, but the dropping procedure will be changed in several ways as detailed in Rule 14.3:

• The focus of the dropping procedure will be on a specific “relief area” set by the Rule under which relief is being taken and will be either one or two club-lengths from a reference point (and may have certain other limitations).

• The ball will need only to be dropped in and come to rest in the relief area; and there will be no re-drop requirement if the dropped ball accidentally hits a person or object after hitting the ground but before coming to rest in the relief area.

• If the dropped ball comes to rest outside the relief area, it will be dropped a second time; if it comes to rest outside the relief area after being dropped a second time it will be placed where it first touched the ground.

• If the placed ball will not come to rest on that spot after two attempts, the player will then place the ball on the nearest spot (not nearer the hole) where it will come to rest.

14. - Procedure for Taking Back-on-the-Line Relief
One of your options for relief from either a red or yellow penalty area will be called back-on-the-line relief.

2019 Rule: Players will continue to drop a ball when taking relief, but the dropping procedure will be changed in several ways as detailed in Rule 14.3:

• The focus of the dropping procedure will be on a specific “relief area” set by the Rule under which relief is being taken and will be either one or two club-lengths from a reference point (and may have certain other limitations).

• The ball will need only to be dropped in and come to rest in the relief area; and there will be no re-drop requirement if the dropped ball accidentally hits a person or object after hitting the ground but before coming to rest in the relief area.

• If the dropped ball comes to rest outside the relief area, it will be dropped a second time; if it comes to rest outside the relief area after being dropped a second time it will be placed where it first touched the ground.

• If the placed ball will not come to rest on that spot after two attempts, the player will then place the ball on the nearest spot (not nearer the hole) where it will come to rest.

Areas of the Course

15. - When to Replace a Ball That Moves on the Putting Green
After your ball has been lifted and replaced, you would always replace your ball on its original spot, even if it was blown by the wind or moved for no clear reason.

2019 Rule: Rule 13.1d, will revise the procedure for when a ball on the putting green is moved by wind, water or other natural forces, so that it must sometimes be replaced and sometimes be played from its new spot:

• If the ball had been lifted and replaced on its original spot before it moved, the ball must always be replaced on its original spot, regardless of what caused it to move.

• The ball must be played from its new spot only if the ball had not been lifted and replaced before it moved.

16. - Repairing Damage on the Putting Green
Repair of almost any damage allowed on the putting green (including spike marks and animal damage).

2019 Rule: Rule 13.1c(2) allows repair of almost any damage on the green:

• “Damage on the putting green” will be defined to include all types of damage (such as ball-marks, shoe damage, indentations from a club or flagstick, animal damage, etc.), except aeration holes, natural surface imperfections or natural wear of the hole.

Reasons for Change:

Because putting greens are specially prepared for playing the ball along the ground, the Rules allow the player to do things on the green that are not allowed anywhere else:

• The player may mark, lift and clean a ball on the green at any time, remove sand and loose soil on the green and repair old hole plugs and ball-marks on the green.

• Given this philosophy of allowing players to try to have a smooth surface for rolling the ball, there is no conceptual reason for prohibiting repair of other types of damage (whether made by players, animals, maintenance staff, etc.).

This Rule change will eliminate the frequent questions among players and referees about whether a particular area of damage on the green is a ball-mark that may be repaired or is a shoe mark or other damage that must not be repaired.

The concern has been noted that allowing repair of all damage on the putting green could slow down play if players try to repair too many areas; but we believe this is unlikely to be true for most players and that the Rule against unreasonable delay (as well as a Committee’s pace of play policy) can be used to address situations where a player seeks to make excessive repairs.

17. - Touching Line of Play on a Putting Green
No penalty for touching your line of play on the putting green so long as doing so does not improve the conditions for your stroke.

2019 Rule: The prohibition of touching the line of play on the putting green will be eliminated:

• There will no longer be a penalty for merely touching the line of play on the putting green (the term “line of play” will apply everywhere on the course including the putting green, and the term “line of putt” will no longer be used).

• But the player will still be subject to the prohibition on improving his or her line of play on the putting green (see Rule 8.1a, as limited by 8.1b).
   

18. - Ball Played From Green Hits Unattended Flagstick in Hole
No penalty if your ball played from the putting green (or anywhere else) hits the unattended flagstick in the hole.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 13.2a(2):                  

• There will no longer be a penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits a flagstick left in the hole.

• Players will not be required to putt with the flagstick in the hole; rather, they will continue to have the choice to have it removed (which includes having someone attend the flagstick and remove it after the ball is played).

Reasons for Change:

Allowing a player to putt with the flagstick in the hole without fear of penalty should generally help speed up play.

When the players do not have caddies, the current Rule can result in considerable delay.

On balance it is expected that there should be no advantage in being able to putt with the unattended flagstick in the hole:

• In some cases, the ball may strike the flagstick and bounce out of the hole when it might otherwise have been holed, and

• In other cases, the ball may hit the flagstick and finish in the hole when it might otherwise have missed. 

 
19. - Areas the Committee May Mark as Penalty Area
Areas of desert, jungle, lava rock, etc. (in addition to areas of water) may now be marked as red or yellow “penalty areas.”
 

20. - Touching Loose Impediments or Ground in a Penalty Area
No penalty for moving loose impediments, touching the ground, or grounding your club in a penalty area.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 17:

• There will no longer be any special restrictions when a ball is in a “penalty area” (the expanded designation for the area that includes what are now called water hazards).

• A player will be allowed to touch or move loose impediments and touch the ground with hand or club (such as grounding the club right behind the ball) for any reason, subject only to the prohibition on improving conditions for the stroke (see new Rule 8.1a).

 
21. - Expanded Use of Red-Marked Penalty Areas
Committees are given the discretion to mark any penalty area as red so that lateral relief is always allowed.

2019 Rule: Under the new Rules, “Water hazards” will be superseded by the expanded concept of “penalty areas”, and Rule 17 will provide the same basic options for relief that exist under the current Rules:

• A penalty area will include both (1) all areas currently defined in the Rules as a water hazard or lateral water hazard and (2) any other areas the Committee chooses to define as penalty areas (with recommended guidelines to be provided in the guidebook).

• Penalty areas may therefore include areas such as deserts, jungles, lava rock fields, etc.

• The term “hazard” will no longer be used in the Rules.
   

22. - Elimination of Opposite Side Relief for Red Penalty Areas
Relief from a red penalty area no longer allowed on the opposite side from where the ball last entered the penalty area.

2019 Rule: Rule 17.1d will remove the option to take relief on the opposite side of a red penalty area (the new term that will include what is today called a lateral water hazard):

• This means that, when a ball is in a red penalty area, the player will have three options for relief (all for a one-stroke penalty) rather than four options as today.

• But a Committee could still adopt a Local Rule allowing opposite side relief on those holes where it believes the other relief options are not viable.

23. - Moving or Touching Loose Impediments or Touching Sand in a Bunker
Relaxed Rules relating to loose impediments and touching the ground in a bunker.

2019 Rule: Under Rules 12.2a and 12.2b, the player will be allowed to touch or move loose impediments in a bunker and will be generally allowed to touch the sand with a hand or club; but a limited prohibition continues so that the player must not:

• Deliberately touch the sand in a bunker with a hand, club, rake or other object to test the condition of the sand to learn information for the stroke, or

• Touch the sand in a bunker with a club in making a practice swing, in grounding the club right in front of or behind the ball, or in making the backswing for a stroke.

 
24. - Unplayable Ball in Bunker
Relief allowed outside a bunker for an unplayable ball for two penalty strokes.

2019 Rule: The player will have an extra option allowing relief outside the bunker using the back-on-the-line procedure, but for a total of two penalty strokes(Rule 19.3b).

Equipment

25. - Use of Clubs Damaged During Round
A club damaged during a round can continue to be used, even if you damaged it in anger.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 4.1:

• A player will be allowed to keep using and/or to repair any club damaged during the round, no matter what the damage and even if the player damaged it in anger.

• A player will not be allowed to replace a damaged club, except when it is damaged during the round by an outside influence or natural forces or by someone other than the player or his or her caddie.
   

26.- Adding Clubs to Replace a Club Damaged During Round
You will not be allowed to replace a damaged club during a round if you were responsible for the damage.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 4.1:

• A player will be allowed to keep using and/or to repair any club damaged during the round, no matter what the damage and even if the player damaged it in anger.

• A player will not be allowed to replace a damaged club, except when it is damaged during the round by an outside influence or natural forces or by someone other than the player or his or her caddie.

27. - Use of Distance-Measuring Devices
The use of DMDs will be allowed unless a Local Rule has been adopted prohibiting their use.

 Playing a Ball

28. - Caddie Standing Behind a Player to Help Line the Player Up
A caddie is not allowed to stand on a line behind you while you are taking your stance and until your stroke is made.

29. - Caddie Lifting Ball on the Putting Green
Your caddie may lift and replace your ball on the putting green without your specific authorization to do so.

30. - Ball Accidentally Struck More Than Once During a Stroke
If your club accidentally strikes your ball more than once during a stroke, there will be no penalty and your ball will be played as it lies.

When to Play During a Round

31. - Encouraging Prompt Pace of Play
It is recommended that you play “ready golf” and make each stroke in no more than 40 seconds.

2019 Rule: Rule 5.6 will encourage prompt pace of play by recommending that:

• Players should recognize that their pace of play affects others and they should play promptly throughout the round (such as by preparing in advance for each stroke and moving promptly between strokes and in going to the next tee),

• A player should make a stroke in no more than 40 seconds (and usually in less time) after the player is able to play without interference or distraction, and

• Committees should adopt a Pace of Play Policy (rather than only say they may do so).

In addition, new Rule 6.4 will expressly allow playing out of turn in match play by agreement, and for stroke play, will affirmatively allow and encourage players to play out of turn in a safe and responsible way to save time or for convenience (also known as “ready golf”).

32. - Maximum Score Form of Stroke Play
A new “Maximum Score” form of stroke play is recognized, where your score for a hole is capped at a max score.

Player Behavior

33. - Expected Standards of Player Conduct
The proposed new Rules speak to the high standards of conduct expected from players.

2019 Rule: Rule 1.2a will consolidate the expected standards of player conduct:

• It will declare that players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by acting with integrity, showing consideration to others and taking good care of the course.

• It will unequivocally state the Committee’s authority to disqualify a player for any serious misconduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.

• In place of the unclear concept of “breach of etiquette”, it will use the more direct and stronger phrases “misconduct” and “serious misconduct.”

Rule 1.2b will also give the Committee authority to adopt its own Code of Conduct and to set penalties for its breach (see Explanation for Proposed Rule Change – Code of Player Conduct).
 

34. - Code of Player Conduct
Committees are given authority to adopt their own code of player conduct and to set penalties for breaches of that code.

2019 Rule: Under Rule 1.2b, a Committee will be allowed to adopt a “Code of Conduct” that:

• Sets the Committee’s own standards for how players should conduct themselves, and

• May set penalties less than disqualification (such as a one-stroke penalty or a two-stroke penalty/loss of hole penalty) for a player’s breach of those standards.

The Committee will also still be able to disqualify a player for serious misconduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game, as emphasized in new Rule 1.2a (see Explanation for Proposed Rule Change – Expected Standards of Player Conduct). 

35. - Elimination of the Requirement to Announce the Player's Intent to Lift a Ball
When you have good reason to mark and lift your ball, you are no longer required to first announce your intention.

2019 Rule: In all three situations under the Rules (that is, Rule 4.2c, Rule 7.3 and Rule 16.4):

• A player will be allowed to mark and lift the ball and proceed under the Rule without needing first to announce this intention to another person or to give that person a chance to observe the process.

• But the player will still get a one-stroke penalty if he or she marked and lifted the ball without good reason to do so under that Rule.

 
36. - Reasonable Judgment in Estimating and Measuring
A player’s reasonable judgment will not be second-guessed based on later evidence. 

2019 Rule: Decision 34-3/10, a new decision introduced in April 2017, will be incorporated into the Rules as Rule 1.3b(2) so that when the player estimates or measures a spot, point, line, area or other location, his or her reasonable judgment is accepted:

• If the player did all that could be reasonably expected under the circumstances to make a prompt and accurate estimation or measurement.

• This means that the player's reasonable judgment is upheld even if later shown to be wrong by other information (such as video technology).