Getty Images
Golf’s new rulebook has been published and will take effect on Jan. 1.
The changes – more than 30 in all – were originally announced in March 2017, and the USGA and R&A received more than 30,000 pieces of feedback. It's being billed as the most significant rules modernization in generations, designed to make the rules more consistent, fair and easier to understand and apply.
Some of the key changes include new procedures for dropping the ball when taking relief, the elimination or reduction of several penalties, relaxed putting green and bunker rules, and rules that encourage improved pace of play.