THERE ARE LOTS OF CHANGES TO THE PUTTING GREEN RULES:

• Any damage can be repaired such as ball marks, old hole plugs, shoe damage, animal tracks or hoof marks
• Embedded objects like stones or acorns can be removed

However, damage does not include natural surface imperfections, natural wear of the hole or normal greenkeeping practices like aeration holes

• Your caddie or partner can now touch the putting green with a hand, foot or anything held by them to indicate a line of play for you

• There is no penalty for accidentally causing the ball or ball marker to move, replace the ball or ball marker on the original spot (which if not known must be estimated)
• If the ball has been marked, lifted and replaced and is then moved by natural forces like the wind, replace the ball on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated)
• If the ball was not already marked and was then moved by the wind, play from its new position
• Always remove the ball marker before you take your putt.  If it is left in position while you putt you get one penalty stroke

• You must always take free relief for a ball on a wrong green.  A wrong green is any green on the course other than the putting green of the hole being played plus any practice green.

• A penalty still applies in stroke play if a player’s ball in motion from a stroke on the green hits another ball at rest on the green, however the rules now allow you to pick up the ball at rest to avoid it being struck!  No penalty in match play, replace the ball at rest that was moved and play the other ball as it lies.

Any time you drop the ball when taking free relief or relief under penalty you now must drop the ball from knee height.  This means knee height when you are in a standing position.  You now drop the ball in a relief area rather than on a particular spot and this area is measured from a reference point.  So when dropping from temporary water or from a path for example, the reference point is the nearest point of complete relief and the relief area is one club length no nearer the hole from this point.  If you are dropping under penalty from red stakes, now called a penalty area, your reference point is where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area and the relief area is the area within two club lengths of this point no nearer the hole.  When dropping back on the line your reference point should be marked with a tee and your relief area is one club length no nearer the hole from this point and the ball has to come to rest within this area and not forward of it.  Have a look at the video link on our home page which illustrates the new dropping procedure.

If you accidentally drop from shoulder height just drop again from knee height and always make sure the ball has been dropped in the relief area.

A club length now means the longest club in your bag with the exception of your putter and it is this club that defines the relief area even if you use a shorter club in measuring.