GMAQ - Golf Management Australia Queensland Autumn 2018 | Page 10

GMAQ NEWS GOLF’S MODERNISED RULES RELEASED T he R&A and the USGA have unveiled the new Rules of Golf, to be implemented on 1 January 2019. The R&A and the USGA finalised golf’s new Rules last month after an extensive review that included a request for feedback from the global golf community on the proposed changes. Golfers can now access the official 2019 Rules of Golf by visiting RandA.org or usga.org/rules. The process to modernise the Rules began in 2012 and was initiated to ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply for all golfers and to make the game more attractive and accessible for newcomers. While the majority of proposed Rules remain intact in the final 10 I WWW.GMA.ORG.AU version, several important changes to the initial proposals and further clarification of many Rules were incorporated. David Rickman, Executive Director – Governance at The R&A, said, “We are pleased to be introducing the new Rules of Golf after a collaborative and wide-ranging review process which has embraced the views of golfers, rules experts and administrators worldwide. We believe that the new Rules are more in tune with what golfers would like and are easier to understand and apply for everyone who enjoys playing this great game.” “We’re thankful for the golfers, administrators and everyone in the game who took the time to provide us with great insight and thoughtful feedback,” said USGA S