Six new PGA Tour rules come into effect – from fairway relief to pitch marks and club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour informed players of five new local model rules, adding one more 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’s Vice President for Rules and Refereeing, commented to golf.com: ‘Good, reasonable outcomes for golf at the highest level.’ He also explained that the new local model rules, adopted by the USGA and R&A effective January 1, 2026, continue the modernization of the rulebook started in 2019.
Below, we outline the new rules and local model rules and explain their background:
New PGA Tour Rules Clarify Penalties for Unintended Ball Movement
Under Rule 9.4b, a player receives a penalty stroke if they move their resting ball and fail to restore it before their next stroke, even if unaware the ball moved or could have moved. However, the player does not play from a wrong place (Rule 14.7a – two penalty strokes) if it is later determined they caused the ball movement. Should the player realize the ball moved but not restore it and then play from the new spot, the general penalty under Rule 14.7a applies. Similarly, if the player mistakenly believes the ball did not move and should not be restored, but it did, the general penalty also applies.
This rule arose from an incident involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Lowry unintentionally moved his ball slightly during a practice swing on the 12th hole without noticing. After the round, officials assessed a two-stroke penalty after reviewing video evidence. Lowry described the penalty as difficult to accept but accepted it without dispute.
Penalty Relief Now Also Applies When Ball Lies in Another Player’s Pitch Mark
Previously, penalty relief could only be taken if a ball came to rest in its own pitch mark. Now, Rule 16.3b allows a player to get relief when officials confirm the ball lies in a pitch mark below ground level made by another player’s shot. Repaired pitch marks are excluded from this rule regardless of repair quality or completeness. Repairs could involve club, foot, or other means. A pitch mark partially flattened by the greenskeeper’s mower but still visibly indented counts as repaired.
This follows repeated incidents, including Lowry at the 2025 Open, when his second-round ball rested in a competitor’s pitch mark and officials denied relief. Lowry subsequently missed his approach shot and showed frustration on the turf.
‘Out of Bounds’ Rule Now Only Applies From the Tee
Many PGA players had taken advantage by using the fairway of another hole as a shortcut or relief. Now, internal boundary markings (often white stakes) are considered ‘Out of Bounds’ only when the ball is played from the tee. Prior, players sometimes faced severe restrictions near obstacles like trees within these boundaries, unable to chip back to the fairway. This rule originally aimed to prevent players from shortening play by using other fairways from the tee; it now applies solely from the tee.