Main Changes to the Rules of Golf 2008
Identifying a Ball in a Hazard
Rule 12-2 now allows a player to lift a ball in a
bunker or water hazard for identification purposes. But don’t forget to
mark it first and give the opportunity to your fellow competitor, or
opponent, to witness the lift. There is a consequential change to
Rule 15-3, which introduces the normal penalty of two strokes for
playing a wrong ball out of a hazard, whereas before there was no
penalty as long as you rectified the situation by continuing with the
original ball. There is an exception in that there is no penalty if
a competitor makes a stroke at a wrong ball that is moving in water in a
water hazard.
Under rule 12-1, there is now no penalty if a
ball that is in, or on an obstruction, is moved during search.
Previously, this only applied to abnormal ground conditions.
Ball Accidentally Hitting
Equipment
A revision to Rule 19-2 the penalty for the
accidental deflection of the ball by the player, his partner, their
caddies or equipment is reduced to one penalty stroke in both match and
stroke play. As an example, if your topped drive hits your golf
bag, trolley, caddie or foot, you only lose one stroke now instead of
two.
Moving Flagstick to avoid Ball
hitting It
Rule 24-1 has been amended to allow a flagstick,
whether attended or not, to be moved when a golf ball is in motion.
Whereas before if you thought that a fellow competitor’s bad putt was
going to miss the hole and hit the flagstick you had to leave it there
or suffer the penalty.
Question Relating to Distance
A new change is that exchange of information with other
players relating to distance. For example, asking a fellow
competitor "how far is my ball from the hole" is not now
considered as seeking information and not advice (Decision 8-1/2).
Carrying More Than 14 Clubs
A revision to Rule 4-1 reduces the penalty for
carrying, but not using, a non-conforming club from disqualification to,
in stroke play, a penalty of two strokes per hole, with a
maximum penalty of four strokes per round. In match play,
the state of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole
at which a breach occurred, with a maximum penalty of two holes per
round.
