New Rules Of Golf Fix A Few Key Glitches, But Not All

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We'll have a few less of those awkward explanations to casual fans now that the USGA and R&A have tweaked the rules. They are calling these significant changes and in the case of eliminating scorecard DQ's for cards signed where a penalty is later added, that will end the surprising number of situations that arose. However, simple math mistakes still will not be tolerated.

Rex Hoggard at GolfChannel.com with a good summary of the news.

Ryan Herrington at GolfDigest.com answers your obvious questions to the changes and addresses the scorecard signing with this from the USGA.

Thomas Pagel, senior director of rules and amateur status with the USGA, says this is not the “Tiger Woods Rule” as born out when Woods was allowed to play on at the 2013 Masters despite failing to access a two-stroke penalty after an improper drop during his second round and not be DQ’d for signing for a score that was too low. The way the change in the rule is written, however, it will allow players (like Woods) who are unaware before they sign their cards that the card is incorrect because the score doesn’t include penalty strokes the players did not know happened not to be kicked out of an event. Instead they will be allowed to continue to compete after adding the penalty strokes to their score (any strokes for the unknown penalties plus two more strokes for signing the incorrect score card).

In all other cases in which a player returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken, the penalty remains immediate disqualification. "This is not going to cover simple math errors," says Pagel, who noted the discussion on this point has gone for years. "If you had a 5 and wrote down a 4, you will still be disqualified. This is only if you forgot to include a one- or two-stroke penalty that you did not know occurred. Whether it was ignorance of the rules or applying one stroke rather than two."

Of course this does not address those who make a 4 and sign for a 5 put down by their playing partner, which remains one we'll have to explain to those not understanding this crazy game.

Also significant is the leniency built into the new Rules of Golf for balls that move on greens mown too tight because the R&A and USGA don't want to do anything about the ball going too far.

Herrington again:

Rather than automatically being deemed to have caused the ball to move—and thus subject to a one-stroke penalty—starting in January only when the facts show that the player actually caused the ball to move (or more likely than not caused the ball to move) will he or she be subject to the penalty. This adds some subjectivity to the situation, but also allows some much-appreciated leniency.