golfrewind.com

Taken from the last PGA manual I can put my hands on at present.

TOURNAMENT RULES
As applicable in 1981

The following competition conditions and local rules have been formulated in collaboration with the Rules of Golf Committee, Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Section A - Competition Conditions
The following conditions shall apply under rule 36-1 to all tournaments under the auspices of the PGA until further notice:

1. The Ball
Rule 2-3 Note 2
Only those brands of golf ball published in the current approved lists of 1.68inches in diameter which have been tested by the R&A or USGA and found to conform with the rules may be used.Penalty for use of a brand not listed: disqualification.

2. Starting times
The following penalties will be imposed at tournaments for late arrival on the starting tee:
(a) Stroke play.Modification to rule 37-5. If a competitor is not ready to start at his designated time, he will incur a two-stroke penalty. If he fails to appear at the starting tee before his fellow competitor(s) have played their second shots on the first scheduled hole, he shall be disqualified.
(b) Match play.A player arriving late on the starting tee will be disqualified. The time for starting shall be that shown on the official programme or when the player's name is called by the starter, whichever is the later.
It is emphasized that no exceptions can be made to this rule and the penalties shown above will be imposed automatically.
These starting conditions do not apply to pro-am tournaments. The conditions for pro-ams are given in section C- tournament regulations, item 7.

3. Practice at putting green of hole played
Appendix 1-3
A player during a round shall not play any practice stroke on or to any putting green, including the putting green of the last hole played. (This rule does not apply to pro-am or match-play tournaments).
Penalty: Stroke play - two strokes.

4. Marking a ball on the putting green
Rule 35.1. Note
(a) A ball-marker or other small object should be used.
(b) The following sequence should be observed:
(i) Place marker immediately behind ball,
(ii) Lift ball and, on replacing,
(iii) Place ball immediately in front of marker.
(c) If the marker interferes with the play, stance or stroke of another player, it should be moved one or more putter-head lengths to one side.


These rules go on for several more pages, covering the following headings:
Temporary towers and obstructions.
Pop-up sprinklers.
Stones in bunkers.
Embedded ball.
Touching line of putt with club.
Tournament regulations:
Pace of play
Prize presentations
Official Recorders
Caddies
Breaches of etiquette
Public relations
Pro-Am tournaments.

Add to these rules the PGA Constitution, Bye-laws and Regulations, you have a book of Rules that I have called Pro Rules since I signed Professional in 1973.

I have sent a note to my good friend John Parimore at the ETPD to see if he can send me the up to date version of the ETPD Rules.

what are the rules or are there any with regards to rakes? in or out of the traps?

Rule 36 The Committee (Def. 9)

1. Conditions
The Committee shall lay down the conditions under which a competition is to be played.
Certain special rules governing stroke play are so substantially different from those governing match play that combining the two forms of play is not practicable and is not permitted. The results of matches played and the scores returned in these circumstances shall not be accepted.

2. Order and Times of Starting
a. General
The Committee shall arrange the order and times of starting.
b. Match Play
When a competition is played over an extended period, the Committee shall lay down the limit of time within which each round shall be completed.
When players are allowed to arrange the date of their match within these limits, the Committee should announce that the match must be played at a stated hour on the last day of the period unless the players agree to a prior date.
c. Stroke Play
Competitors shall play in couples unless the Committee authorises play by threes or fours. If there be a single competitor, the Committee shall provide him with a player who shall mark for him, or provide a marker and allow him to compete alone, or allow him to compete with another group.

3. Decision of Ties
The Committee shall announce the manner, day and time for the decision of a halved match or of a tie, whether played on level terms or under handicap.
A halved match shall not be decided by stroke play. A tie in stroke play shall not be decided by a match.

4. The Course
a. New Holes
New holes should be made on the day on which a stroke competition begins, and at such other times as the Committee considers necessary, provided all competitors in a single round play with each hole cut in the same position.
b. Practice Ground
Where there is no practice ground available outside the area of a competition course, the Committee should lay down the area on which players may practise on any day of a competition, if it is practicable to do so. On any day of a stroke competition, the Committee should not normally permit practice on or to a putting green or from a hazard of the competition course.
c. Course Unplayable
If the Committee or its authorised representative consider that for any reason the course is not in a playable condition, or that there are circumstances which render the proper playing of the game impossible, it shall have the power in match and stroke play to order a temporary suspension of play, or in stroke play to declare play null and void and to cancel all scores for the round in question.
When a round is cancelled, all penalties incurred in that round are cancelled.
When play has been temporarily suspended, it shall be resumed from where it was discontinued, even though resumption occur on a subsequent day.
(Procedure in discontinuing play - Rule 37-6b)

5. Modification of Penalty
The Committee has no power to waive a Rule of Golf. A penalty of disqualification, however, may, in exceptional individual cases, be waived or be modified or be imposed if the Committee consider such action warranted.

6. Defining Bounds and Margins
The Committee shall define accurately:-

a. The course and out of bounds.
b. The margins of hazards, water hazards, and lateral water hazards.
c. Ground under repair.
d. Obstructions.

7. Local Rules
a. Policy
The Committee shall make and publish Local Rules for abnormal conditions, having regard to the policy of the Governing Authority of the country concerned as set forth in Appendix I attached to these Rules.
b. Waiving Penalty Prohibited
A penalty imposed by a Rule of Golf shall not be waived by a Local Rule.
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The above was taken from http://www.ruleshistory.com/rules1980.html

I still think there are no "Pro Rules", as such. I think it is simply the Committee's explanation of "policy" as it relates to Rule 36 (which is no longer Rule 36 in the current rules). I understand what you're saying about "Pro Rules," but I think the Pros play by the same rules we all do, except they have an "addendum", if you will, to elaborate on such things most of us would not face in day-to-day play.

Although, I guess one could (and probably will) make the argument that these "policies" ARE the "pro rules". I think we're talking semantics, but hey...it makes an interesting discussion...somewhat.

Texas Wedge

League, one glaring difference is Rule 7-c (qv) - the rules Filey quotes are a blanket set which cover all tournaments - however, let's all split hairs again.

Are your caddies under instruction as what to wear on there feet and if they don't you are fined £100 ($180).
Do the Rules of Golf tell you how to mark a ball, or how to hold it when lifting when you are not allowed to clean it. Do they give you a time frame of how long you have to hit your shot when it becomes your turn.
The PGA / ETPD have a set of Rules for them in addition to the Rules of Golf and many infractions incur cash penalties. You may call them Local Rules or Competition Rules but as they are for Professional Golfers mostly for when in Professional Tournaments I refer to them, and always will as 'PRO RULES'.

(IMO) The Appendix of the R&A version states that a Committee may make and publish local rules and it helps to word rules and set them out. They are not additional Rules of Golf until that said Committee instigates them, as the PGA / ETPD have done under the heading of PGA / ETPD Rules.

Leaguegolf,

Never argue with a Yorkshireman.

Fileygolfer is right, live with it.

Does this not say that there is a set of rules for Pro's in a handbook?

Your full listing is the PGA / ETPD Rules that the Committee have laid down for the Pro's (Pro Rules).

Lets agree to disagree on what I call "Pro Rules" and you call something else.

As you probably already know, when Pro's play with Amateurs ala Pro-Am's a number of PGA Rules are invalid as per there Rules.

You know, there is only one person worse than a Yorkshireman, that is a Yorkshireman with Scottish Ancestors ala MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Even you should know that the USGA and R&A rules are identical!(Except that the R&A are written in English)

with correct spelling

I hear they really labour over the colours. They need more zeds...

I think the rules have been the same since Jan 1st 2004. Now the USGA and R&A have to agree to any rules changes. Can you give examples of where they are not the same?

The only thing I can think of is Driver COR measuremnets, but I think that rule is now the same for both.

Not anymore. It is a suggested "local rule" in the appendix.

Someone has hijacked his computer again