16 November 2009, St Andrews, Scotland: Following the two-year review cycle with the USGA, The R&A has announced 30 new Decisions, 49 revised Decisions and one withdrawn Decision for the 2010-2011 edition of Decisions on the Rules of Golf. The changes will take effect on 1 January 2010.
“Decisions on the Rules of Golf illustrates the breadth and scope of possible Rules situations that must be addressed,” said The R&A’s Director of Rules and Equipment Standards, David Rickman. “We regularly re-visit and amend the Decisions book to ensure that it remains current and relevant to the modern game.
“The new book contains over 1,200 cases, posed in a question-and-answer format, which will clarify any ambiguity that may arise after consultation of the Rule book.”
The R&A and the USGA have also issued a joint statement of principles regarding the use of electronic devices, including distance-measuring devices. The R&A and the USGA 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 R&A nor the USGA 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 on distance-measuring devices, can be found in the Rules section on www.randa.org.
Decisions on the Rules of Golf will be available from Monday 23 November from the RandA.org online shop and from bookshops, priced at £15.99.
Contact:
David Rickman
Director of Rules and Equipment Standards
Malcolm Booth
Assistant Director – Head of Communications
The R&A
Tel: +44 1334 460000
