Have you missed these hidden changes in the new Rules of Golf?
4. Be careful what you use to check the wind
Who of us hasn’t pulled up a handful of grass and chucked it up into the air to see where the wind is going? That’s still fine but make sure you’re not caught out using anything else that could be deemed an “artificial object”.
Substituting the grass for powder, for instance, would be a no no – as are other objects for the “sole purpose of getting wind related information”.
Among the interpretations for Rule 4.3a (2) is a very specific example involving a handkerchief.
So if you “take a handkerchief out for the sole purpose of holding it in the air to see which direction the wind is going, the player’s action is a breach of Rule 4.3.”
That comes with a price. It’s a two-stroke penalty for the first time. Do it again and it’s disqualification.
5. You can stop a ball before it comes to rest in this specific instance
In fact it’s not just you. Anyone else can also deliberately stop your ball – either within or outside a relief area – before it comes to rest if there is no reasonable chance it will come to rest in the area.
You can find this in an exception to Rule 14.3d. Last year, if the ball was stopped before it rolled out of the permitted area (and that included the two club lengths allowed to roll) you would have picked up a general penalty.
So what does it mean in practice? If you are taking lateral relief from a red penalty area, for example, you can now stop it rolling down that steep slope and into the water before it gets to the margin line.
6. Just hit the face of a bunker? Keep calm and carry on
The definition of the bunker has changed and now only includes the area covered – or normally covered – by sand. That means you no longer receive a penalty for hitting the wall or face of the bunker with your backswing.
Why was Fowler penalised at the Phoenix Open?
The seven Rules of Golf you may not know exist
Get your head around the new Rules of Golf terms
For more information on the changes to the Rules of Golf visit the R&A or USGA websites.
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
