Rules Column: Mike Peluso

With the new set of rules, you now get a break if you are late for your tee time

Last month we started to introduce you to some of the major changes for the 2012-2015 version of The Rules of Golf. I explained that the Rules for raking bunkers have been liberalized, that there is some possibility of not being penalized if your ball moves after you address it, and that Rules for moving your ball during search have been made more consistent. This month we’ll take a look at a few more interesting changes.

Another one of the changes is to Rule 6-3 (Time of Starting). This Rule always provided that if a player was late to his starting time, he was disqualified. There was also a Note to Rule 6-3, which allowed the Committee to reduce the penalty to two strokes if a player was up to five minutes late for his starting time. Over the years, virtually every competition on every level adopted the Note to Rule 6-3. It was finally decided to just incorporate the “five minute grace period” into the body of the Rule, thus eliminating the need for the Committee to put the Note on the Notice to Competitors. The reduction from disqualification to two strokes for being five minutes or less late to the tee is now automatic.

Another significant change is a consolidation of penalties. Over the years, the Joint Rules Committee has been concerned with penalty strokes “piling on” in certain situations, and over the past 10-15 years we have seen several infractions being consolidated into a lesser penalty if they happen simultaneously. For example, back in the 1990’s, if a player moved his ball in play accidentally, he would be penalized one stroke. If he failed to replace it, he would be penalized an additional two strokes. And if he picked up that ball and illegally substituted it with another, he’d be penalized another yet another two strokes.

This is a far out example, but you can see how the strokes piled up. Over the years, that accumulation of penalty strokes has been mitigated. And this year the final consolidation has been completed. Rule 20-2a states that when a ball is to be dropped, it must be dropped in a specified manner: the player must stand erect, and drop the ball from shoulder height with the arm extended. If a player drops the ball in any other manner or if he lets another player drop it for him, he would receive a one-stroke penalty. Violation of this Rule was always added onto any other penalty. Now this penalty has also been consolidated when a player plays from a wrong place or when he illegally substitutes a ball, and also violates Rule 20-2a.

So, now let’s look at a “kinder, gentler” version of a hypothetical situation. Let’s say a player is taking relief from a cart path. He substitutes a ball, which is a two-stroke penalty. He drops it two club-lengths (instead of one) from the nearest point of relief, which is another two-stroke penalty. And he drops the ball from knee-height, which is a one-stroke penalty. And he then plays the ball. Total penalty: Two strokes! Yes, even the Joint Rules Committee has a kind heart! (It’s important to note that these penalties only apply if the player doesn’t correct them and makes a stroke at the ball.)

Finally, although this is not a Rules change, there is a major shift in interpretation of Rule 13-2, which prohibits a player from improving his line of play, the area of his stance, or the area of his intended swing. Prior to 2012, anything that a player did to improve one of those three areas would result in a two-stroke penalty. For instance, if a player had a nine-iron and was going to loft a high shot into the green, and he stepped on a raised tuft of grass 15 feet in front of him on his line of play before making his stroke, he would have been penalized. Under the liberalized interpretation, such an action would now not be penalized. The reasoning is that the chances of such an action actually giving him an advantage in making that shot are virtually nil. While this interpretation may make perfect sense, there are some Rules Officials who are a little apprehensive that everyday players may take unfair advantage of this Rules interpretation. So, I’d like to add a caveat to this: The final decision as to whether a player has violated Rule 13-2 lies with the Rules Official. So, a word to the wise…..if you are thinking about clearing something from your line of play or the area of your stance or intended swing, be absolutely sure that there is no way such an action would at all improve any one of those areas and make your stroke easier.

Mike Peluso is a rules official with the USGA, PNGA and other organizations. He can be reached for rules questions at mikepeluso@comcast.net.