New rules a little more lenient
Penalties softened for players under two circumstances.
Golfers no longer face automatic disqualification for two violations, including an incorrect scorecard, under the latest set of rules that reflect a little more leniency in handing out penalties.
The Royal & Ancient Golf Club and U.S. Golf Association announced changes to the 2016 edition of the Rules of Golf. Players will avoid disqualification if the incorrect scorecard is the result of penalty strokes they didn’t know about when they finished their rounds. The penalty also was softened for players using artificial devices, such as training aids, in the middle of the round.
The new rules take effect Jan. 1. The most notable addition was Rule 14-1b, which bans an anchored stroke used primarily for long putters.
Changes were made to 18 of the 34 rules. Most were tweaks, though there were two instances when the penalty no longer is disqualification.
One change involved the scorecard. Players still face disqualification if they sign for a lower score on a hole, but the new exception to Rule 6-6d allows a player to avoid disqualification if the score includes a penalty discovered after he signed his card. Previously, players were disqual- ified if a violation was reported after the round because their cards did not account for the penalty strokes. Starting in 2016, players would have the penalty added to the hole, along with an additional two-shot penalty for the scorecard error.
David Rickman, executive director of rules and equipment standards for the R&A, said the case of Tiger Woods at the 2013 Masters would not apply under the new rule. Woods took an incorrect drop on the 15th hole of the second round. A former rules official saw it on TV and notified the Masters rules committee, which decided it was not a violation and Woods signed for a 71. Only later, after the committee spoke to Woods, was it a clear violation. He was given a two-shot penalty but not disqualified. Rickman said the new exception to Rule 6-6d would not have applied because a committee error was involved.
The other significant rules change involves when a ball at rest moves (18-2b). Currently, if a ball moves after it’s addressed, the player is deemed to have caused the movement and is penalized one shot. An exception was added in 2012 for when it is virtually certain that it wasn’t the player’s fault (such as strong gusts). Now, the rules no longer say players are guilty unless proved innocent. The penalty will be applied only if facts show a player caused the ball to move.