News

USGA publishes changes to Rules of Golf for 2019

Published

8 years ago

Sep 12, 2018

The USGA and R&A have this week published golf’s new rule book, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2019. The modernized Rules of Golf features over 30 changes in all, and it is said to be the most significant change to the rules in more than 60 years.

The changes to the rules will see the reduction of several penalties, looser putting green and bunker rules, and regulations that encourage improved pace of play.

According to Thomas Pagel, senior managing director, Governance for the USGA, the aim is to make the rules easier to comprehend and to improve the future of the game

“From the project’s inception, our one goal was to make the Rules easier to understand and apply for all golfers. It sets a new standard in the way we write and interpret the Rules and is central to our efforts to ensure a healthy future for golf.”

Among the significant changes that will come into effect in the new year

Penalty drops will now be made from knee height, rather than shoulder height
No penalty for an accidental double hit
No penalty for accidentally moving your ball or ball-marker on the putting green
No penalty for accidentally moving your ball during search.
Your ball is lost if not found in three minutes (rather than the current 5 minutes)

David Rickman, the executive director, Governance at The R&A, spoke today about his excitement to the modernized rules change that could see the sport become far more accessible

“We are delighted to be rolling out the modernized Rules of Golf today. This is the biggest set of changes to the Rules in a generation and a major step forward in our efforts to make the Rules, and the sport itself, more accessible and more in tune with the way the modern sport is played.”

Both Dustin Johnson and Lexi Thompson suffered high profile penalties in the final round of major championships recently. Under the new rules change, neither incident that they sustained penalties for will be deemed a breach after the new rules go into effect.

The entire list of changes to the rules that will take effect Jan. 1, 2019, is available here.

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected]

8 Comments

Shifty

Sep 13, 2018 at 7:10 am

“rules change that could see the sport become far more accessible” – how so?

Reply Report comment
pr

Sep 13, 2018 at 2:28 am

I don’t like the fact that you can now touch the ground in a hazard area. That should never be allowed. Hazards are called that for a reason, they aren’t supposed to be perfectly manicured million dollar country club relief areas.

Reply Report comment
Steven

Sep 13, 2018 at 12:48 am

Changes are coming! Not sure if this is allowed but we made a bag tag to help everyone with the rule changes. Would appreciate any support!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1641149418/quickstarter-rules-caddy-2019-simplify-the-rules-o?ref=user_menu

Reply Report comment
Rick

Sep 13, 2018 at 12:37 am

Lexi put her ball down an inch from the ball marker… that was the problem. How’s that solved here?

Reply Report comment
Wayne Johnson

Sep 12, 2018 at 10:57 pm

Great changes but removing a ball from a Divot in the fairway should have been included. Hitting a good drive in the fairway should not be penalized by having to play out of someone’s divot.

Reply Report comment
- Sean
  
  Sep 12, 2018 at 11:21 pm
  
  Don’t fool yourself mate. These changes are not about improving the game. There about speeding up the game so more revenue can be generated.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - C
    
    Sep 13, 2018 at 7:56 am
    
    How are any of the top four bulleted rules about speeding up play?
    
    Reply Report comment
- Mike
  
  Sep 13, 2018 at 11:45 am
  
  I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, but I see big challenge in rulings. What is a divot? Certain depth/width? How old can the divot be? If it was taken 2 months ago, but there is still a trace amount of sand left from being filled, can I take relief? I don’t have a solution, but I think this is whats holding this back.
  
  Reply Report comment

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News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

General Albums

2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

News

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.