Six new PGA Tour rules come into effect—from fairway relief and pitch marks to club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour informed players of five new local model rules and added a sixth rule change regarding preferred lies. This brings a total of six new rules starting next week at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Steven Rintoul, PGA Tour Vice President of Rules and Refereeing, told golf.com, ‘Good, sensible outcomes for the game at the highest level.’ He explained that these new local model rules, approved by USGA and R&A starting January 1, 2026, continue the modernization of the rulebook initiated in 2019.
Below, we present the new rules and explain their background:
New Golf Rule Clarifies Penalties for Unintentional Ball Movement
According to Rule 9.4b, a player incurs one penalty stroke if they move their ball at rest and fail to replace it before the next stroke, even if unaware the ball moved or could have. However, if it later emerges the player caused the ball movement, they haven’t played from a wrong place (Rule 14.7a, two strokes). If a player notices the ball has moved, does not replace it, and plays from the new spot, they receive the general penalty under Rule 14.7a for playing from a wrong place. This rule was prompted by Shane Lowry’s incident at the 2025 Open Championship in Royal Portrush, where a practice swing slightly moved his ball unnoticed; officials imposed a two-stroke penalty after reviewing footage. Lowry found the penalty hard to accept but accepted it without dispute.
Penalty-Free Relief Now Allowed When Ball Lies in Another Player’s Pitch Mark
The next change concerns when a player’s ball rests in another player’s pitch mark. Previously, relief without penalty was only granted when the ball was in the player’s own pitch mark. Now, under Rule 16.3b, players may take free relief if an official determines the ball lies in a pitch mark below ground level caused by another player’s stroke. Repaired pitch marks are exempt from this rule regardless of repair completeness. This change responds to repeated incidents, including another at the 2025 Open where Lowry’s relief request was denied after his ball landed in a pitch mark, leading to a missed approach shot and visible frustration.
‘Out of Bounds’ Now Applies Only From the Tee
Frequent attempts by PGA players to gain advantages by using other holes’ fairways as shortcuts led to boundaries marked as ‘Out of Bounds’ only applying when the ball is played from the tee. Previously, internal boundary stakes often restricted play near obstacles, preventing players from chipping back onto the fairway. This rule change aims to prevent use of other fairways for shortcuts but limits ‘Out of Bounds’ to tee shots only.