All hail the new Rules of Golf

Ah, the Rules of Golf… I imagine I’m like the majority of golfers in that when I play a social round with my regular partners on a Sunday morning, we “liberally” interpret the current rules.

Of course, I understand why we need them in competitions. But we’re rarely marking a card. We know each other well enough to understand we won’t take advantage. And when holes are being won with doubles (occasionally, worse!), does it really matter if we don’t apply the letter of the law exactly?

In fact, we’re already using many of the new rules that will come into force on January 1, 2019 (see page 60 for a recap, and our exclusive interview with the R&A’S David Rickman about them). I’m talking...

Ready golf We’re all over it. Sometimes we even play synchro golf, with two players hitting simultaneously...

Putting with the flag in Of course we do – when I’m waiting for my pal to have his third chip (Andy, you’re in luck, there are no more penalties for double hits!) and I’ve got a long putt, no way am I walking across the green to take the flag out…

Knee-high drops Well, the top of the ball pocket in my bag is about knee height, so when I reach in, grab a new ball and throw it down, that just about counts…

Alternative to stroke and distance Who doesn’t do this in a social round? I’m not walking back to the tee on a packed Sunday morning if I can’t find my original tee shot… I’m dropping where it roughly went in the field/hedge/water.

The new Rules of Golf are in many ways the Rules for the Ordinary Golfer. They’re much easier to understand (with liberal use of graphics in the new book). They’ll make the game quicker. And they’ll mean ordinary golfers like you and me will have more fun. The R&A and USGA don’t always get it right. But in this instance, both must be applauded.