Six new PGA Tour rules come into effect – from fairway relief and pitch marks to club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour informed players about five new local model rules and added a rule change regarding preferred lies. This brings a total of six new rules kicking off the season next week at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Steven Rintoul, PGA Tour Vice President for Rules and Officiating, told golf.com these are ‘good, sensible outcomes for golf at the highest level.’ He explained that these new local model rules, effective January 1, 2026, adopted by the USGA and R&A, continue the modernization process of the rulebook initiated in 2019.
Below we present the new rules and local model rules, explaining the reasoning behind these decisions:
New Golf Rule Clarifies Penalties for Unintentional Ball Movement
According to Rule 9.4b, a player receives a penalty stroke if they move their resting ball and fail to replace it before their next stroke, even if they did not know the ball moved or could have moved. The player does not play from a wrong place (Rule 14.7a – two penalty strokes) if it is later revealed they caused the ball to move.
If the player notices the resting ball moved, does not replace it, and plays from the new spot, the general penalty under Rule 14.7a applies for playing from the wrong place. Similarly, if it is later established that a player moved the ball but mistakenly thought they did not have to replace it, the general penalty applies.
This rule arose from an incident with Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship in Royal Portrush, where he accidentally moved his ball slightly during a practice swing at the 12th hole without realizing it. After the round, officials assessed a two-stroke penalty based on video evidence. Lowry found the penalty ‘hard to accept’ but accepted it without dispute.
Penalty-Free Relief Allowed When Ball Lies in Opponent’s Pitch Mark
The next rule change concerns when a player’s ball lies in another player’s pitch mark. Previously, penalty-free relief was only allowed if the ball lay in the player’s own pitch mark. Now, according to Rule 16.3b, a player may take relief without penalty if an official determines the ball lies in a pitch mark created by another player’s shot below ground level. However, if the pitch mark has been repaired intentionally or unintentionally, regardless of repair quality, relief does not apply. Examples include pitch marks repaired with a club, other objects, or a foot, or pitch marks partly flattened by maintenance equipment but still visible as depressions.
This change follows repeated occurrences, including again with Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship, where officials denied his relief request after his ball landed in a pitch mark, leading to a missed approach shot and visible frustration