Which Rules of Golf are in force, and what changed.

Who writes the Rules

The R&A and the USGA write and publish the Rules of Golf together. Wikipedia says the two bodies have issued the Rules jointly since 1952, after a joint drafting conference in 1951, and that before then the rules varied by governing body. Wikipedia also describes the split in territory: the USGA governs in the United States and Mexico, and the R&A everywhere else. Between full editions, the R&A says, official Clarifications are added on both bodies' websites each quarter; the Virginia State Golf Association puts those updates in January, April, July and October.

Before 2019: the anchoring ban

One earlier change still shapes the game. The governing bodies proposed a ban on anchoring the club on 28 November 2012, and it took effect on 1 January 2016, according to Aussie Golfer, which also says the timing followed the four-year revision cycle of the day. The ban restricts a way of making a stroke, not a type of club, and it lives on in the current Rules as Rule 10.1b.

The 2019 modernisation

The modernised Rules took effect on 1 January 2019. The USGA's summary chart of the main changes grouped them under ball at rest, ball in motion, taking relief, areas of the course, equipment, playing a ball, pace of play and player behaviour. The changes golfers notice most:

• Searching: a ball is lost if it is not found within three minutes, down from five. Accidentally moving your own ball while searching is no longer penalised.
• Dropping: the ball is dropped straight down from knee height instead of from shoulder height at arm's length, into a relief area measured in club-lengths (the longest club in the bag other than the putter). See relief and dropping.
• Penalty areas: "water hazards" became penalty areas, which Committees can also use for areas such as desert, jungle and lava rock. Committees may mark them all red, and there is no penalty for moving loose impediments or grounding the club in one. See penalty areas.
• Bunkers: loose impediments may be moved, touching the sand is penalised only in specific ways, and a new unplayable option lets a player go back outside the bunker for two penalty strokes. See bunkers.
• Putting green: no penalty when a putt hits an unattended flagstick left in the hole, and players may repair almost any damage, such as spike marks, but not natural imperfections. See the putting green.
• Accidents: no penalty when a ball in motion accidentally hits the player, the caddie or the flagstick, or for an accidental double hit. A player is treated as having moved the ball only when that is known or virtually certain, which the USGA chart glosses as at least 95 percent likely.
• Devices: distance-measuring devices became allowed unless a Local Rule bans them, the reverse of the earlier position. See distance-measuring devices.
• Pace and conduct: the Rules recommended for the first time that a stroke take no more than 40 seconds, encouraged "ready golf" in stroke play, introduced the Maximum Score form of stroke play, and let Committees adopt a Code of Conduct with lesser penalties than disqualification. See pace of play.

The 2023 Rules of Golf

The R&A and the USGA announced the update on 7 November 2022. It took effect on 1 January 2023, and the 2019 Rules applied for the rest of 2022. The R&A described it as a regular update that continued the modernisation, with an emphasis on inclusion and sustainability. The main changes:

• Players with disabilities: the modified Rules became part of the Rules themselves as Rule 25, so no Local Rule is needed to use them. See players with disabilities.
• Scorecards: in stroke play the player no longer has to write a handicap on the card; the Committee works out handicap strokes and the net score.
• Damaged clubs: a club damaged during the round may be replaced, unless the player damaged it through abuse.
• Natural forces: a ball that has been dropped, placed or replaced is put back if wind or water then moves it into another area of the course or out of bounds. See ball at rest moved.
• Back-on-the-line relief: simplified so the ball is dropped on the line and must come to rest within one club-length of where it was dropped. This option is used for penalty areas and unplayable balls.

The R&A also said the governing bodies would promote digital access to the Rules and print more than four million fewer rule books.

The 2028 edition

In an article dated 14 January 2026, the R&A states that the next edition of the Rules of Golf will be published on 1 January 2028. The Virginia State Golf Association gives the same date for the next scheduled update. Our research could not confirm from a second primary source whether 1 January 2028 is the publication date, the effective date or both, so check the R&A or USGA before relying on it.

What the 2028 edition will change is not known to our research. No R&A or USGA announcement of its content was found as of October 2026. Until it takes effect, the 2023 Rules of Golf remain the edition in force.

A note on timing: Wikipedia says the Rules are revised on a four-year cycle. The sequence of recent editions (2019, 2023, then 2028) shows the interval is not fixed, so treat that description with care.

Between editions: Model Local Rules

The governing bodies also change the menu of Model Local Rules between editions. The R&A says new and amended Model Local Rules were made available to Committees from 1 January 2026, and stresses that they are not changes to the Rules: each one applies only where a Committee adopts it. The Model Local Rules page covers them.