New Golf Rules: How these new changes will help players with disabilities?
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Starting this year, new rules and relaxations have been introduced in golf to make the sport more accessible, sustainable, and inclusive. These new rules and regulations have come after the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient issued updates and notifications.
The 2019 amendment to the golf rules has made the sport more broad-based and quicker. These new rule changes, kicked in on January 1. It will allow more inclusivity and accessibility in golf. Some of the landmark changes include flexible rules for people with disabilities.
The new incoming extension has also agreed upon rules concerning club replacement and ball moved by natural forces. Let’s look at how these significant changes will impact the sport of golf.
New golf rule changes and their impact on the sport
These new changes in golf can be regarded as an extension of the 2019 amendment. It is more like tweaks made to the same. With these new incoming changes to golf, Thomas Pagel, the USGA Chief Governance Officer, said,
“The growing popularity of golf continues to guide our decision-making, and modernizing the Rules to promote inclusivity and accessibility is clearly a great step in the right direction. This latest evolution is especially important to the community of golfers with disabilities, and we hope it will encourage more people to play and enjoy the game.”
To this, Grant Moir, Director of Rules at The Royal and Ancient adds,
“We are continuing to improve and adapt the Rules of Golf to ensure they are in line with the way the modern game is played. That means making the Rules easier to understand and access for all golfers and making the sport more inclusive and welcoming for golfers with disabilities. We are also working to ensure golf has a sustainable long-term future and making more resources available digitally is key to achieving that goal.”
These new rule changes will be applicable worldwide and are biggest revisions in rules over the last 30 years. Here are some significant changes that will be in force this year.
Modification for players with disabilities
The new changes will be making several accommodations for players with disabilities. Earlier, visually impaired players could use an aide for marking and alignment. However, these rules would come under the ambit of local rules, which committees could enact at their discretion.
The new changes come under Rule 25, which will now apply to all competitions and forms of play. It would be the player’s category of disabilities which would determine the use of specific modified rules under Rule 25. The rule identifies the following categories of disability.
- Visually impaired players
- Players who are amputees
- Players who use assistive mobility devices
- Players with intellectual disabilities.
Use of Handicap during stroke play
With the advancement in technology and their use in updating scores, there is no need for scores to be marked on pen and paper. With the adoption of the World Handicap System™, players are no longer penalized if they do not put their Handicap on the scorecard during stroke play. The organizing golf committee would be responsible for the accuracy of the player’s handicap.
Club replacement rules
The new rules state that a player can replace their club if damaged during a round, provided the player did not damage it through abuse.
Ball moved by natural forces
If a ball moves to another area of the course or rests out of bounds after being dropped, placed or replaced, that ball in rest will be allowed to be replaced.
Procedure for back-on-line-relief
When a ball is knocked into the penalty area or an unplayable spot, the drop then taken is called back-on-line relief. Earlier, this rule was quite complex and time-consuming for both players and organizers. With the new changes, the ball must rest within one club length of where it is dropped.
The new rules have also been made available online for ease of access. Also read on the golf rules revision in 2023.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)