Six new PGA Tour rules come into effect, ranging from fairway relief to pitchmarks and club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour informed players of five new local model rules, adding a sixth change regarding preferred lies. The season opener at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii, will mark the start of these six new rules. Steven Rintoul, the PGA Tour’s vice president for rules and officiating, told golf.com that these are ‘good, sensible outcomes for golf at the highest level.’ He added that these local rules, adopted by the USGA and R&A as of January 1, 2026, continue the modernization of golf rules begun in 2019.
New Golf Rule on Penalties for Unintentional Ball Movements
According to Rule 9.4b, a player receives a 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 moved. However, if it is later discovered the player caused the ball to move, they have not played from a wrong place under Rule 14.7a, which carries two penalty strokes. If a player notices their ball has moved but does not replace it and plays from the new spot, the standard penalty under Rule 14.7a applies for playing from a wrong place. The rule arose from an incident involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship in Royal Portrush, where he unknowingly moved his ball during a practice swing. After the round, officials penalized him two strokes based on video evidence. Lowry described the penalty as hard to accept but accepted it without dispute.
Penalty-Free Relief Now Allowed for Ball in Another Player’s Pitchmark
Previously, penalty-free relief applied only if a ball rested in the player’s own pitchmark. Now, under Rule 16.3b, a player may receive relief if an official determines the ball lies in a pitchmark made by another player’s shot below ground level. Repaired pitchmarks, whether intentionally or accidentally fixed, are not covered and do not grant relief. This includes pitchmarks repaired with clubs, feet, or equipment, or those that have been mowed over but still show indentations. This change follows repeated incidents, including again with Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship, where his request for relief after his ball landed in another player’s pitchmark was denied, leading to a missed approach and visible frustration.
“Out of Bounds” Applies Only from the Tee
The rule that inside out-of-bounds areas, often marked by white stakes, only apply from the tee has been introduced to prevent players from using fairways of other holes as shortcuts. Previously, these boundaries restricted players even when encountering obstacles like trees, limiting their options to safely chip back to the fairway. This rule aims to reduce potential advantages from shortcutting and now exclusively