2023 Rules with change notes

[rulie]

The Rules define five areas of the course - the general area, bunkers, penalty areas, teeing area and putting green. Those are the only "areas" that are considered in the Rules. The general area is any part of the course that is not a bunker, the putting green, a penalty area or the teeing area. Exception 2 of Rule 9.3 (above) says that if natural forces cause a replaced, dropped or placed ball to move and the ball comes to rest in a different area of the course (eg, from general area to penalty area), the player must replace the ball on the spot where it came to rest after being replaced, dropped or placed. This Exception is referred to as the Rickie Fowler Rule - implemented because the Ruling Bodies did not like the outcome of a situation that happened to Fowler a couple of years ago.

When a ball is out of bounds, the Rules require the player to play from where he made his last stroke, with a one stroke penalty.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I read the summary of changes document. Unfortunately not only did I not read the change to 9.3 in context of the whole rule, I misread it, plus I did not pick up on the significance of it being about a new exception and the implication of that. All I really picked up was about the ball being moved by natural forces to a new area of the course and that triggered me asking about ‘area’ and making incorrect extrapolations to other circumstances and the rest of the rule.

Oops. Sorry for wasting everyone’s time on this.

 

[B1gd0g]

If MLR L-1 is implemented, it modifies the DQ penalty in Rule 3.3b(2) for failing to certify a score to two strokes but it doesn't give the Committee any discretion as to which penalty to apply. You either leave 3.3b(2) as the applicable rule with a DQ penalty or you implement MLR L-1 and change the penalty to two strokes.

If you apply MLR L-1 where is the penalty applied in a Stableford Comp if the last hole played is already marked as 0 points?

 

[salfordlad]

If you apply MLR L-1 where is the penalty applied in a Stableford Comp if the last hole played is already marked as 0 points?

Good question. According to the last sentence in 21.1c, failure to sign has no impact on the total score if the player has already wiped the hole. Similarly, the MLR may mean no or reduced impact in par/bogey or maximum score events. This is an outcome of the RBs' decision to remove penalties that apply to the total score. Simplicity may not be the friend of equity.
Personally, I think DQ for admin errors never made sense.