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When things happen to your ball in play:
No Penalty for:
Accidentally moving your ball while searching for it.
No penalty for ball moved UNLESS it is known or virtually certain that you caused the ball to move
If your ball is moved and you don't know the exact location of the ball when it was moved you can now estimate the original spot and place it there instead of dropping it.
No longer a penalty if your ball in motion accidentally hits you, your equipment, your caddie or someone attending the flagstick.
No longer a one stroke penalty if you double hit your ball.
No need to inform anyone if you have good reason to lift your ball to identify it or to see if its cut.
You can no longer use a long putter to measure a club-length, but you can still use your driver.
When dropping, the ball must end up in the defined relief area, so the ball rolling within two club-lengths will no longer be considered an acceptable drop if the ball doesn't remain in the defined relief area, such as one club length from the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole (which usually creates an area defined by an arc, the ball will have to stay within that arc).
No longer a penalty if your touch or move loose impediments, like leaves or sticks, in a penalty area (formerly a water hazard) or in a bunker.
Opposite relief of a lateral water hazard has been eliminated, as has the term lateral water hazard, will now be a penalty area.
Under penalty of two strokes you can declare a ball unplayable in a bunker and take relief outside the bunker on a direct line between where you ball lies in the bunker and the flag, going back away from the hole.
You can now substitute a ball when taking relief from an immovable obstruction. Used to have to use the original ball, if you could retrieve it. |
