Less is more as golf simplifies its rule book

MEXICO CITY Golf’s two governing bodies released a draft of modern rules this week aimed at bringing common sense to what can be a complicated sport.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club and the U.S. Golf Association spent more than five years trying to simplify the rules of golf without stripping the centuries-old game of its traditions and fundamentals of fair play. The result figures to be the most comprehensive overhaul since the first set of rules was published in 1744.

But in this case, the rule book actually shrunk. The proposal, which now faces six months of public feedback, reduces the number of rules to 24 from 34.

Many penalties have been rescinded. Players no longer will be assessed a one-shot penalty if their ball accidentally moves, if their club touches the ground while in a hazard or even if a putt strikes a flagstick that is not being tended.

Remember when Jeff Maggert’s shot from a fairway bunker caromed off the lip and hit him in the chest? That cost him a two-shot penalty in the 2003 Masters. Under the proposed rules, it wouldn’t be a penalty.

“The primary objective was, ‘How do we make the rules easier to understand and easier to apply around the world?’ ” said Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s senior director of rules and amateur status. “I think what you’ll see is that part of this process is to evaluate all the outcomes and identify outcomes that are more reasonable and common-sense based.”

Rory McIlroy has been informed of the changes and liked what he heard.

“I think golf’s emphasis on the rules can sometimes turn people away from it,” McIlroy said. “To modernize and make it simple is a good thing.”

Depending on the six-month public comment period, the proposal would be finalized in 2018 and become effective in 2019.