Six new PGA Tour rules take effect—from fairway relief and pitch marks to club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour shared five new local model rules with players and added a sixth change regarding preferred lies. These six new rules will debut next week at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Steven Rintoul, PGA Tour Vice President of Rules and Officials, told golf.com, \”Good, sensible outcomes for the sport at the highest level.\” He explained that these new local model rules, adopted by the USGA and R&A effective January 1, 2026, continue the modernization of the rules initiated in 2019.
Key PGA Tour Rule Changes for 2026 Season
The first change clarifies penalty strokes for unintended ball movement. According to Rule 9.4b, a player receives one penalty stroke if they move their stationary ball and fail to replace it before their next stroke, even if unaware the ball moved or could have. This differs from playing from a wrong place, which carries a two-stroke penalty. If a player notices the ball moved but doesn’t replace it and plays from the new spot, they incur the general penalty of playing from a wrong place.
This rule was inspired by an incident involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship, when he unintentionally moved his ball during a practice swing. Officials imposed a two-stroke penalty after review, which Lowry accepted despite finding it hard to accept.
Another update allows penalty-free relief when a ball rests in another player’s pitch mark, expanding relief beyond balls resting in the player’s own pitch mark (Rule 16.3b). Repaired pitch marks remain ineligible for relief, regardless of repair quality. This clarification arose after repeated incidents, including Lowry’s second-round ball landing in a pitch mark at the Open, where relief was denied and he expressed frustration.
\”Out of Bounds\” will now apply only when the ball is played from the tee box. This addresses situations where players previously took advantage by using other holes’ fairways as shortcuts. Inner out-of-bounds boundaries, usually marked by white stakes, restrict play only from the tee going forward.
Players may now receive relief for immovable obstructions on closely mown aprons around greens if putting is a common stroke there, per updated Rule 16.1. This includes obstacles like sprinklers or microphone holes that interfere with the player’s intended line.
Rule 4.1b(4) now permits players to repair damaged clubs during rounds using parts carried in their bags, such as replacement clubheads. This streamlines repairs without requiring players or caddies to return to the locker room and does not violate the \”15-club\” limit since only components, not full clubs, are carried.
Preferred lie relief areas on poor fairways at PGA Tour events will be reduced from a club length (approx. 46 inches) to a scorecard length