PGA Tour takes action on green-reading books

It looks as though 2022 is going to be the year of the rule change.

Following recent news of a comprehensive review of the laws governing amateur status as well as a new limit on the maximum length of clubs (not including putters), the PGA Tour has announced new restrictions on the use of so-called green-reading materials.

These changes were ratified during a Players Advisory Council meeting at the Shriners Children’s Open.

• Turnberry “lined up” to stage Saudi tour event

• Twitter account linked to Reed makes ‘smear’ claim

From January 1, 2022, a new Local Rule will be implemented on the world’s most lucrative circuit that will restrict players and caddies to using a “Committee Approved” yardage book in competition rounds. That book will be “very similar” to a traditional yardage book and, with respect to greens details, will have only general information on slopes and other features.

All printed books for PGA Tour tournaments from 2021 and earlier will not be allowed going forward.

Handwritten
notes that might assist with reading the line of play on the putting
green will continue to be allowed in the approved book. However, such
notes will be restricted to only those made by the player or
caddie and must be derived from experiences or observations of a ball
rolling on a green. Transferring previous handwritten notes that also
meet the new restrictions into the approved book is allowed. 

No
devices, levels or other technology may be used to gather information
to be kept as notes and no information may be copied from another source
into the approved book.  

• Man’s body recovered from golf course lake

• Tickets on-sale for bunkered LIVE in England

A
memo circulated around PGA Tour players and caddies said: “The purpose
of this Local Rule is to return to a position where players and caddies
use on their skill, judgment and feel along with any information gained
through experience, preprartion and practice to read the line of play on the putting green.” 

In
addition, to this new Local Rule, a Tournament Regulation will also be
amended to extend the prohibition on using any device to test the
conditions of the putting greens to include all practice greens and
during all official practice rounds and pro-ams.