Far Hills, N.J. (Nov. 16) – Following the two-year review cycle with The R&A, Ltd., the United States Golf Association has announced 28 new Decisions, 51 revised Decisions and one withdrawn Decision for the 2010-2011 edition of “Decisions on the Rules of Golf.” The changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2010.
“Decisions on the Rules of Golf” contains more than 1,200 entries, most of which are situations posed in a question-and-answer format, to address specific circumstances under the Rules of Golf. While the Rules of Golf follow a four-year review cycle (the next revision being in 2012), the Decisions are reviewed every two years.
“The changes to the Decisions for 2010-2011 represent a fine-tuning of the solid foundation provided by the Rules,” said James T. Bunch, USGA secretary and chairman of the USGA’s Rules of Golf Committee.
The USGA and The R&A have also issued a joint statement of principles regarding the use of electronic devices, including distance-measuring devices. The USGA and The R&A first allowed the use of distance-measuring devices by local rule in January 2006 and are reaffirming that these devices may be used to measure only distance and must not be able to measure other conditions such as wind speed or direction, the slope of the ground or the temperature. Neither the USGA nor The R&A anticipate adopting the local rule at any of their championships.
The text of the new and revised “Decisions on the Rules of Golf,” as well as the full text of the joint statement of principles, can be found in the Rules section of www.usga.org.
About the USGA
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the world’s golfers and golf courses.
The USGA annually conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Senior Open, 10 national amateur and two state team championships. It also helps conduct the Walker Cup Match, Curtis Cup Match and World Amateur Team Championships.
The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System®, celebrates the history of the game, and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $65 million over 13 years to successful programs that bring the game’s values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.
Contact:
Rand Jerris (rjerris@usga.org)
Web Address: www.usga.org
USGA Phone: (908) 234-2300
