Page 88 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2018

SPORTS & OUTDOORS coast golf update
TEE-OFF
with Tommy
GOLF RULES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ story by Tommy Snell
These golf times they are a-changin’ in 2019. The 34 Rules of Golf will be trimmed to 24 golfer-friendly statutes that will hopefully bring more people to the game. The “modernized” rules were initiated by the
R & A and USGA to ensure that the Rules are “easier to understand and apply for all golfers and to make the game more attractive and accessible for newcomers.” Job well done!
I thought I would highlight some of the major changes, transformations quite frankly that I thought would never happen. These new rules take effect January 1, and speaking for all golfers who think the rules can be more daunting than an island green, I can’t wait.
• Accidently move your ball during search? No problem and no penalty. Simply replace. Place ball even if exact spot not known. Move it accidentally on the putting green? Replace. If you’ve
marked your ball on the putting green and replaced it, always replace if it moves, no matter the reason.
• If you hit a shot and the ball hits you or your equipment, no penalty. Sorry, Jeff. Double
chip? No penalty. Just count the shot. Sorry, T. C. “Two Chip” Chen.
• Golfers must drop from knee- height, and the ball must hit a prescribed area and stay there.
• Repair damage on the putting green, including spike marks and
animal damage,
but not natural imperfections. Putt with flagstick in the hole.
• Caddies can
no longer stand behind the player while he/she
is taking stance or
playing the shot. (Love this one
but some LPGA players won’t.) • Time to search for a ball is
reduced from five minutes to
three. Carry on my wayward son. • Five areas of the course: The
General Area (the entire course except for the following four specific areas), Teeing Area, Penalty Area (red and yellow hazards), Bunkers, and Putting Green.
Although this bulleted list is not complete, golfers who like to follow the rules will certainly agree that
the new rules make the game more attractive indeed. Want to learn more? The PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop visits Gulfport in October. Sign up at www.usga.org so you
can volunteer with your local golf association.
88 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • October 2018
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