By Richard Todd
As I came out of the barber shop this week a friend shouted,
“Just who I wanted to see. What gives with the tour players putting with the flagstick in the cup?” 
He, like many other golfers, are just now catching on that there are some rule changes that took place a half year ago! Don’t worry, we’re all catching up.
Even if you’re a little late to the party, here are a few changes you can make in your daily round to impress the ranger, as well as, your group.
- Putt with the flagstick in the cup
No longer is there a penalty for hitting the flagstick when on the putting surface. Use the flag to your advantage to stop those run-a-way putts or give you more peace of mind when hitting those downhill strokes. You can pull it from the cup if you prefer though.
- Repair spike marks
Yes, you can now repair spike marks, as well as ball marks, that are on your line of play when putting without penalty! Thank you USGA for letting my ball roll smoothly for that lip out.
- Count two penalty strokes for lost or out of bounds ball
If you are not a fan of the stroke and distance penalty then you’ll love the new option to put a ball back into play, within two club lengths of the fairway, no nearer the hole, after a lost or out of bounds shot is made. You can still go back to the tee box or the location of your last shot and play again with a one stroke penalty and counting your initial swing, but you may not be in as good a position.
- Search for only 3 minutes
Is your ball lost? New rules decreased the search time to three minutes in order to help speed along play. So once your 180 seconds are up just put a new ball into play and keep moving.
- Put a golf ball back into play from knee height.
Long gone are the days of dropping a ball back into play from over your shoulder, and so is dropping from shoulder height and watching it roll up to two club lengths. The new rule requires you to drop from knee height and the ball must come to rest within the drop zone.
- Hazard relief
Do you have trouble getting out of those sandy bunkers? Well now you can pick up your golf ball and drop outside the bunker, on line with the flag, for a two stroke penalty.
Additionally, you are now allowed to allowed to ground your club and move loose impediments in a penalty area (aka hazard/bunker). How’s that for making the game a little easier!
Hopefully these new rules will add to the enjoyment of your game and maybe even help lower your scores! If so, send the USGA a Thank You card.
