Golf set to scrap rules in revamp

THE most far-reaching changes to the rules of golf in more than 30 years were put forward by the Royal and Ancient yesterday. No fewer than 30 revisions have been proposed by the game’s governing body that will see the elimination of many of the more unfair and ridiculous rules that have driven golfers up the wall for generations and caused untold harm to the reputation of the sport. ‘We have looked at every rule to try to find ways of making them more intuitive and straightforward and we believe we have identified a number of significant improvements,’ said David Rickman, the R&A’s executive director of rules. If passed, we will no longer see Ryder Cups decided by a ball hitting a spike mark, as happened in the 1991 edition at Kiawah Island when Bernhard Langer’s putt from close range to retain the trophy bounced off one and missed. Players will be able to repair any damage to a green before putting out. The test for penalising an accidental movement of the ball will change from it being ‘more likely than not’ to virtually certain a player caused the ball to move. For the club golfer, there are any number of fascinating proposals, designed not only to increase fairness but speed up play. Players, for example, will be allowed to putt out on the green with the flag in the hole, thereby eliminating the wait if a playing partner is not immediately able to carry out such a duty. The time looking for a lost ball will be reduced from five minutes to three. There will be no penalty for moving loose impediments in a hazard and players will be able to ground a club everywhere except a bunker. If all goes well during the consultation process, these changes will be implemented on January 1, 2019.