Applying the New Rules of Golf

New Year’s Day I was lucky enough to tee it up on Pinehurst No. 2. My first round on the course since moving back in 2015. I shot a larger than life number on the front but scrapped around an even par on the back nine that concluded with a birdie on 18! So, here we were, playing under the new Rules of Golf on the first day of the year. I was excited to see if any of the rules would come into play during our casual round. On the first green, I was delighted to tap down imperfections that interfered with the line between my ball and the hole. Possibly one of my favorite new rules of the game! Throughout the round, we didn’t have many new rules scenarios come up. Or so we thought! There was one drop taken from knee height. We wondered if the knees should, or could, be bent or if a straight leg was required. On another hole there was a wayward tee shot. We were pretty confident the ball went out – of – bounds but never found it, so determining which rule to play the next shot under became confusing.  Were we allowed to play the new OB rule or did we need to return to the tee hitting three? With the recent rain, we saw our share of loose impediments in the bunkers and happily removed those while ensuring our ball didn’t move. On a few longer putts we left the flag in, instead of having someone tend it, simply to keep up our pace of play. One rule we unintentionally may have broken involved standing behind a player once they began taking their shot. For example, when we had similar lines on the putting green. Luckily, this Tuesday I’m signed up to attend the Carolinas Golf Association Rules of Golf Seminar and I look forward to bringing up a few situations we had on course to see how they should have played out under the new Rules of Golf. As a side bar, if you’re interested in a Rules of Golf Seminar, the CGA is hosting many over the next few months, free of charge, visit their website and find one that works for you! As I’ve learned more about the changes to the Rules of Golf, one thing has become clear – while golf has always been a sport of Integrity, where players call infringements on themselves, today’s rules require a golfer to take on an even greater level of Honesty, Integrity and Judgment while on course. For example, in year’s past, the other player’s in your foursome, especially the individual assigned to keep your score, would be involved in the process of agreeing upon the line your ball crossed when entering a Hazard, now a penalty area, or agreeing that you took relief from a cart path or ground under repair, correctly. Today, those decisions and procedures do not require other members of the group to be involved or in agreement, the ownership lies simply on the golfer themselves. In fact, I’m not certain, but I believe there is much less expectation on members of your foursome to even track your shots and be able to provide input. Another example of applying honesty under the new rules comes into play with preferred lies. Previously you would be required to mark your ball, say with a tee, measure out a club length, with another tee, and replace your ball within the tee boundaries, no closer to the hole. Today, marking the ball is not required, you may simply lift the ball and place no closer to the hole. Then, there are some brand new rules, those about on course etiquette and player code of conduct. Rule 1 now introduces three simple principles of the game for the player. They include playing the course as you find it and the ball as it lies. Playing by the Rules and in the spirit of the game. And your personal responsibility for applying your own penalties if you breach a Rule. Today, more than ever, Golf’s uniqueness stands out. It’s truly a game that will teach and test us in how we apply Life Skills and Core Values on the golf course, and later, off the course. I’m excited to see how the game of golf evolves in 2019 while learning more about the Rules of Golf and their positive impact on our sport.