Golfers of all standards have been affected by the R&A rule changes introduced as from 1st January 2019. Playing the local courses here in Spain I can still clearly see players still taking incorrect drops and waiting to play in order than ready golf BUT on the positive side most golfers have embraced the opportunity to putt with the flag in the hole when on the putting surface without the risk of penalty. On the professional circuit,especially on the USPGA tour the new rules haven’t gone down too well and we have seen examples of players such as Rickie Fowler penalised for not dropping from knee height. The biggest point of issue appears to be the following rule: “You cannot have your caddie or your partner standing behind you once you begin taking your stance”. A number of players have been penalised for infringing this rule (or how it is interpretted) resulting in almost a player revolt and the commissioner of the tour having to write to the players. This will have some way to run and we will keep you updated with the outcome accordingly but meanwhile we still advise all players to recheck and apply these new rules of golf.
Previous Post: Smart Golf