For 2018, The R&A and the USGA have approved a new local rule which will allow Committees to modify the exception to Rule 6-6d.
Heretofore, this exception, initially introduced in the last revision of the Rules of Golf in 2014, provided for what happened when a player signed for a lower score than that which he/she actually had – due to incurring a penalty which they were not aware of.
Under this exception, instead of being disqualified the competitor incurred the penalty prescribed by the applicable rule which had not been applied when the scorecard had been returned – plus an additional two-stroke penalty for each hole at which the breach occurred.
The modification now permitted by local rule removes the additional two-stroke penalty, and reads as follows:
“The Exception to Rule 6-6d is modified as follows:
Exception: If a competitor returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken due to failure to include one or more penalty strokes that, before returning his score card, he did not know he had incurred, he is not disqualified. In such circumstances, the competitor incurs the penalty prescribed by the applicable Rule, but there is no additional penalty for a breach of Rule 6-6d. This Exception does not apply when the applicable penalty is disqualification from the competition.”
The Irish Ladies Golf Union and the Golfing Union of Ireland are both introducing this modification by local rule/condition of competition for all of their events. Both organisations strongly recommend that all affiliated club committees do likewise and include this text in their conditions of competition and/or local rules effective immediately.
