New rules explained
By Ron Kaspriske
Golf Digest
December 2005

The U.S. Golf Association has made 111 changes to the Decisions on the Rules of Golf for 2006. Unfortunately for some of us, the foot wedge is still not allowed. Most of the rules changes are minor, but some, such as the new local rule allowing yardage range finders could affect you the next time you tee it up. Here are other changes and clarifications of note:
 

1 A broken club in your golf bag, such as one that happened to be left over from when you broke it two weeks ago, does not count against the 14-club limit. (Decision 4-4a/14).
 

2 A local rule requiring a shot that hits a telephone or electric-power line suspended across a fairway to be replayed without penalty has been clarified to include the poles that suspend the wires. As with all local rules, don't assume you automatically get the replay. The rule is in effect only if the committee in charge of the course or tournament permits it. (Decision 33-8/13).

3 Refusing to tell your opponent your score is considered the same as giving him incorrect information and is a violation of Rule 9-2a. (Decision 9-2/3.5).

4 When you find yourself in a situation where you have to replay a shot from the spot where you last hit -- such as after hitting the ball out-of-bounds -- you have to play from the same situation where the ball originally lay. So if you hit a ball out-of-bounds from a bunker, the drop has to be in the bunker. (Decision 20-5/2).

5 Golf balls may be artificially warmed before a round begins. (Decision 14-3/13.5).

6 Say you just made a par, and the only way your partner can help your team in a match is by making a birdie with the upcoming putt. There is no penalty if you knock his ball away while it's still moving after it's determined that the ball cannot be holed. You are no longer considered to be exerting influence on the ball, because your partner's score is no longer relevant. (Decision 1-2/7).

7 If you break a club while leaning on it, as if it were a cane, that club is allowed to be replaced. The interpretation of "damaged during the normal course of play" has been expanded to include this, as well as using the club to search for a ball and removing or replacing a club in the bag. These are in addition to breaking a club while making a stroke, practice swing or practice stroke. (Decision 4-3/7).

8 In the past, golfers couldn't exchange information about the distance from their golf ball to the green, a hazard, etc. But now the distance between a ball and any object is considered a matter of public information. (Decision 8-1/2).

9 The Sam Snead croquet-style putt, where your feet are on or astride the line of putt, is still NOT allowed. However, a golfer who inadvertently stands astride or on the line, say, to avoid stepping on another player's line, has not broken the rule. This usually occurs when you are trying to tap in. (Decision 16-1e/2).

10 A caddie attending the flagstick suddenly notices that the spot where he is standing is on the line of your putt. He can tell you to hit your putt at his foot, but he must remove the foot from that position before you make the stroke. This is not a breach of Rule 8-2b, which addresses touching the putting green to indicate the putting line, because the caddie's foot wasn't on that spot to indicate the line. He was simply attending the flag. (Decision 8-2b/2).

11 The USGA lists a few stretching devices that can be used during a round without penalty because they are not used in the swing: a bar that is placed across the shoulders, rubber tubing and pipes. (Decision 14-3/10.5).