Main Rules Changes for 2023

The revised rule book for 2023 and beyond is now published. As expected not many changes to get our heads around – here is the R&A/USGA’s “infographic” on the main changes.

I’ll go through each one in turn over the next few days and pick out any others of interest as well.

Make sure you update the App on the phone (or download it if you don’t already have it) – it now has a preview of the 2023 Rules and will have a full update released in mid December. Search for “R&A Rules of Golf” in the relevant app store.

If you want a full copy of the book, head to https://shop.randa.org/rules-products where you can order one for just the cost of post and packing.

It is also downloadable here https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/c42c7bf4-dca7-00ea-4f2e-373223f80f76/554d9164-bbfb-45bb-9626-46da2adc620a/Rules%20of%20Golf%202023%20A5%20TEXT%20R%26A%20version%20v1_0.pdf

5 thoughts on “Main Rules Changes for 2023”

    1. I’m sorry about that Andy. I’ve clicked on both links again and they work for me. If you go to the R&A website main page (www.randa.org) and scroll right down to the bottom (it takes a lot of scrolling), there is a link to the “Publications Shop”. Click on this and you should then be able to follow through to the Rules Publications.

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      1. Thanks for the reply, I’ve sorted it now, it works if you sign into an account or register 1st, it’s when you try & check out as a guest it fails🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️👍🏻👍🏻

        Andy simmondsSent from my iPhone

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  2. I can not see a Rule that contemplates the question:
    When a ball is dropped under 17.1d(3) and after dropping inside relief area touches the border of 2 different areas of course such as on green and on fringe simultaneously and stays at rest on the fringe what procedure should we use?

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    1. One of the restrictions to the relief area under 17.1d(3) (and generally) is that “if there is more than one area of the course is located within two club-lengths of the reference point, the ball must come to rest in the relief area in the same “area of the course” that the ball first touched when dropped in the relief area”.

      A ball is always treated as lying in only one area of the course. Individual rules let you know when a ball is in a specific area. (Penalty Area (Rule 17.1a), Bunker (Rule 12.1), Putting Green (Rule 13.1a), Teeing Area (Rule 6.2b(1)).

      If more than one of these definitions applies then and we need to look at Rule 2.2c for clarification to the area it is treated as being in, and we have the following order of precedence (it will be treated as in the first named of any applicable area:
      1. Penalty Area
      2. Bunker
      3. Green
      4. Teeing Area
      5. General Area

      We would use the same order of precedence to identify which area of the course the ball was dropped into.

      If I understand your scenario correctly, the ball was dropped and it simultaneously touched the Green and the fringe (General Area), and then came to rest on the fringe (General Area). It would therefore need to be re-dropped under Rule 14.3c(2) as it was dropped onto the Green and has come to rest in a different area. If this were to happen again on the second drop you would then need to place the ball on the spot where the ball dropped the second time first touched the ground (again Rule 14.3c(2).

      I hope this clarifies.

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