2016 Golf Year in Review: Rules Changes

In the number 10 spot of my “golf year in review” was the continued and increased domination of women from Southeast Asia on the LPGA Tour.

At number nine, we have the rules changes that came into effect this year, some of which were significant, and one of which was the source of a significant amount of controversy at a major championship.

Let’s have a look at the big golf rule changes that came into effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

Limited exemption to disqualification for submitting an incorrect scorecard.

Basically, this rule is in effect to prevent someone from “pencil whipping” their scorecard to show a better score than they actually made.

If you make a four on a hole, but turn in your scorecard having signed for a three on that hole, you are disqualified.

However, the change in the rule allows that if you incurred any penalty strokes for a breach of the rules about which you were unaware, you are only subject to the penalty strokes you would have incurred had you known about the penalty and an additional two strokes for signing an incorrect scorecard.

The genesis of this rule dates back several years, but the most recent incident that led to this change was when Tiger Woods was incurred a penalty during the second round at the 2013 Masters.

If you recall, Tiger Struck the flag stick with his approach at the par-5 15th, spinning the ball back into the pond that fronts the green. He took an illegal drop to play his next shot, and was eventually assessed a penalty for that improper drop. Rules officials that day rushed to let Woods know that he had incurred the penalty because if he had signed his scorecard without the penalty, and it was revealed to him after the fact, he would have been disqualified.

Under the new rule, he would simply have to accept the penalty for the breach of whichever rule he broke, and an additional two strokes for signing an incorrect scorecard.

It is worth noting that if you sign for a score lower than what you actually made because you are not good at math or counting or really are a cheater, you can still be disqualified.

Prohibition against anchoring the club during a stroke

This rule was probably the most talked about before it went into effect. If you are familiar with (or use) a longer than standard putter, you know about the technique of anchoring the butt of the club to your belly or chest to swing the club with more of a pendulum motion.

As of the beginning of this year, that is no longer legal. You cannot anchor any part of the club to your body while making a stroke.

Several notable pros were impacted by this rule, including Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott, both of whom had to learn to put the more traditional way.

Adam Scott seems to have made the adjustment, having won two tournaments in 2016 under the new rule.

Withdrawal of rule of ball moving after address

This was the rule which very easily could have cost Dustin Johnson his first major championship.

Before this year, if you addressed the ball and it moved, whether it could be proved you moved it or not, you were assessed a one stroke penalty. Now, there has to be evidence that you caused the ball to move before the penalty will be enforced.

In the final round of the U.S. Open this year, on the fifth hole, Johnson set his putter next to his ball, which appeared to move a dimple or two. The rules official with the group determined nothing wrong had happened and play continued, but the situation was far from resolved. Seven holes later, Johnson was informed that under this new rule, and given the evidence that he likely caused his ball to move on the fifth green, he would be assessed a penalty of one stroke.

It didn’t matter as Johnson went on to win the tournament by three (and went home with Paulina Gretzky on his arm), but the stage has been set for more confusion where this rule is concerned and the interpretation of it.

There is already talk that it might be changed again.

And that is a quick look at the number nine moment(s) in golf this year.

Cover Photo via Flickr