The Rules of Golf is a large, punitive manual saturated with laws and regulations that often seem to do nothing more than penalize the golfer (especially the amateur golfer).  Over the past couple of years, many of the lesser-known rules have been under the microscope thanks mainly to a few golfers in the professional ranks not paying attention.  However, one particular rule is about to change for golfers everywhere. According to a recent article on the New York Times website, Rule 18-2b, which governs the movement of a ball after it has been addressed by a player during competition, was being modified to eliminate a player’s stance as one of two banned factors for causing a ball to move.

“Basically we’re changing the definition of addressing the ball going into the future,” said the official, who had knowledge of the discussions about the revision but did not want to be identified because the change had not been formally approved.

“The ball will be addressed when the player places the club in front of or behind the ball. It won’t have anything to do with the stance; it won’t say anything about a stance. They’re taking the stance part out.”

Why is this an important distinction?  Consider the case of Padraig Harrington earlier this season.  While marking his ball on the putting surface in a recent tournament, Harrington's golf ball appeared to oscillate ever-so-slightly once his coin marker was placed under the ball.  This motion was so slight, in fact, that Harrington went on with finishing the hole as if nothing happened.  Harrington was later disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard after a television viewer notified tournament officials of the rule violation.

Once the above-mentioned rule change takes place, this situation would not have ended in a penalty or disqualification.  Since Harrington had not yet addressed his ball with his club when it moved, no rule would have been violated.

While the rule revision is not yet official, the NY Times article suggests that changes will be finalized as early as next calendar year.