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The first offense initiates a two-stroke penalty
and then disqualification for second. Consider
this your ‘warning’ rule.
Distance measuring devices, such as range
finders and GPS units, are also included
under this topic. Local rules generally allow
these items to find distances but nothing else.
Technology has increased and several models
can identify slope, wind speed, temperature,
and horoscope. If your device does more
than tell you yardage there is no penalty as
long as those extra features are not used. Be
a gentleman and stick to the rules, otherwise
the above penalty can be applied.
Another welcome change comes in the area of
turning in a scorecard with an incorrect total
on a hole (Rules 6-6d). We’ve all heard the
stories about someone that lost a tournament
due to finding out, after their round was
finished, that a penalty should have been
assessed for something done several hours
prior. Understanding that the golfer meant no
harm in these situations, the USGA will no
longer disqualify the individual but allow them
to correct the error by adjusting their score for
the breach they didn’t know happened and
assessing a two-stroke penalty for submitting
a wrong score. Definitely an acceptable
alternative!
In general, the USGA is working diligently to
make the rules of golf easier to understand and
implement. Additional information, videos,
and examples can be found at
USGA.org.
These, and other items, were discussed in a
recent episode of The Back 9 Report. Take a
listen to the archived session. And remember,
it is fun to play by the rules!