And the answer to that question, no matter how unfair it might sound, is yes.
But not for much longer. Soon, the answer will be no. Because that ruling is one that will change on Jan. 1, 2012, when changes to the Rules of Golf announced today go into effect for golfers around the world.
The keepers of the rules, the R&A and the USGA, announced multiple updates to both the rules and to some decisions on the rules, with the change to Rule 18-2b - Ball Moving After Address - being the most significant. According to the governing bodies, the Rules of Golf 2012-15 edition includes changes to nine of the 34 principal rules. As for Rule 18-2b, the news release announcing the updates put it like this:
Ball Moving After Address (Rule 18-2b). A new exception is added which exonerates the player from penalty if their ball moves after it has been addressed when it is known or virtually certain that they did not cause the ball to move. For example, if it is a gust of wind that moves the ball after it has been addressed, there is no penalty and the ball is played from its new position.
Very good news, indeed, for anyone who's ever had to assess himself a penalty merely because the wind blew at the wrong time and wrong place. This happens at least a few times every year on professional golf tours, and sometimes in key situations. It always stirs up controversy, and it's safe to say that this ruling has always been among the most unpopular with rank-and-file golfers.
Two other significant changes are these, as described in the news release:
Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions (Rule 13-4). Exception 2 to this Rule is amended to permit a player to smooth sand or soil in a hazard at any time, including before playing from that hazard, provided it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and Rule 13-2 (improving lie, area of intended stance or swing or line of play) is not breached.Time of Starting (Rule 6-3a). The rule is amended to provide that the penalty for starting late, but within five minutes of the starting time, is reduced from disqualification to loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play. Previously this penalty reduction could be introduced as a condition of competition.
The R&A and USGA examine the rules on a 4-year cycle, going through the rules as written and looking for areas that might need clarification or modification. And every four years, there are a number of mostly small, minor changes to the rules. That is the case again this year, as the vast majority of the changes to the rules for the 2012-15 cycle are minor. Overall, the rules will change very little even with the adjustments noted above.
The USGA and R&A also announced that they jointly designed the hard copy, pocket-sized version of the rulebook that will become available to golfers in December 2011. That rulebook used to be designed separately, so while the rules themselves were identical, the R&A book and the USGA book had different designs and slightly different presentations. Those differences will be gone for the 2012-15 cycle. Between them, the USGA and R&A will publish 4.6 million copies of the pocket-sized rulebook.
For more detail about all the changes to the 2012-15 editions of the Rules of Golf, check out these features (in .pdf format) on the USGA website:
• Principal changes to the Rules of Golf: Lists which of the 34 primary rules received updates, and what those changes are.
• Complete list of new, revised, renumbered and withdrawn decisions on the rules
• Principal changes to the rules of amateur status
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