Rules of Golf

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It is with great sadness that we let you know that Barry Rhodes passed away on Friday, 21st September 2018. While he was a man of many interests, golf was one of his great passions both for the game itself and the friendships it led to. Sharing the rules of golf through his books and online brought Barry great joy. We thank all of you who he engaged with him. May he rest in peace.

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We... Читать дальше...

I always find it interesting to find videos of Rules incidents that occur on one of the Pro Tours, as I believe that it is easier for golfers to understand and remember rulings when they see someone they recognise breaching a Rule and being penalised for it. I was pleased to find a video of an incident concerning Spanish Pro, Jon Rahm (Rodriguez), during the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive.

Sometimes a single incident can lead to several different nuances of the Rules of Golf and the subject of this blog provides an excellent example.

‘666 Questions on the NEW Rules of Golf – 2019’
Thanks to the 550+ subscribers that have already purchased my new eBook in the first 4 days since I made it available. The reception has been fantastic. For others there is more information and ‘Buy’ buttons at this link.

Limit to Green Reading Materials
The R&A and USGA have recently announced proposed regulations regarding the use of green-reading materials, which are designed to reaffirm the need for a player to read greens based on their own judgement, skill and ability. Читать дальше...

An absorbing 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie, Scotland, was relatively Rules incident free, but there was one ruling that may be of interest to readers, not because it played any part in the ups and downs of the player concerned, but because of the changes in the relevant Rule over a 4-year period.

As he was sizing up his putt on the 18th hole of his second round at the 147th Open, Erik van Rooyen dropped his putter on his ball-marker, but he did not know whether it had moved off its spot, or not. Читать дальше...

When I finished writing my previous blog, less than two weeks ago, little did I imagine that I would be writing so soon about Phil Mickelson’s professed knowledge of the Rules of Golf. Let me remind you what he said at that time, during an interview with Curtis Strange on Fox Sports (which can be viewed at this link);

 “Look, I don’t mean, I don’t mean disrespect by anybody I know it’s a two-shot penalty. And at that time, I just didn’t feel like going back and forth and hitting the same shot over. Читать дальше...

Mickelson Strikes His Moving Ball
By now most readers will have made up their own mind about the Mickelson incident at the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. Some may not have seen this updated statement from USGA PR, which in my opinion shows why there was never any possibility of an alternative ruling;

There appears to be some continued uncertainty about the basis of the ruling with Phil Mickelson during the third round of the 118th U.S. Open, and we would like to further clarify previous statements. Читать дальше...

No More ‘Rub of the Green’ !

Part of Rule 19-1 states;

If a player's ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by any outside agency, it is a rub of the green, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies. [There are some exceptions].

OK, don’t panic, my headline does not mean that there will be a change to the ruling in this circumstance. The relevant part of the new Rule 11.1a states;

If a player’s ball in motion accidentally hits any person or... Читать дальше...

Brian Harman's Ball on 17th at Sawgrass

US Pro, Brian Harman, found his ball in a difficult lie on the iconic, island green 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass during the first round of the 2018 Players Championship (see photos). Harman’s options were limited. a) He could not take relief for an embedded ball because his ball was inside the margin of the water hazard, Rule 25-2. b) For the same reason he could not take relief from the wooden bulkhead, an immovable obstruction, Rule 24-1. c) Nor could he deem his ball unplayable in a water hazard... Читать дальше...

My apologies that the Quizlet link in yeterday's blog had a superfluous full stop at the end, which meant that clicking on it did not work. Thanks to all of you that have let me know of this error. So many that I am taking this unusual step of providing an errata, for the benefit of those that receive my blogs through email, rather than visiting my blog site at www.barryrhodes.com. Below is the correct link in the original context.

Want to Learn the New Rules Numbers?
For those of us that... Читать дальше...

I have been asked this question.

“In a circumstance where a Committee has introduced a Local Rule that modifies a Rule of Golf, can a player choose which one to follow? Do they operate separately or does the Local Rule override the Rule of Golf?”

In most cases the above situation does not arise, because the Local Rule offers additional options to the Rules of Golf. Examples are;

• The Rules do not permit a player from removing stones (loose impediments) from a bunker, but a Local... Читать дальше...