News
USGA will restrict green-reading materials beginning in 2019
More than a year after announcing their concerns, the USGA and R&A are proposing regulations on green-reading materials/yardage books.
The governing bodies emphasized “the need for a player to read greens based on their own judgement” in a press release.
The regulations will be finalized in a published “interpretation” of Rule 4.3 (Use of Equipment) and adopted Jan. 1, 2019, following a six-week feedback period.
David Rickman, Executive Director – Governance at The R&A, said,
“We have looked carefully at the use of these green-reading materials and the extremely detailed information they provide and our view is that they tip the balance too far away from the essential skill and judgment required to read subtle slopes on the greens. It is important to be clear, however, that we still regard the use of yardage books and handwritten notes to be an entirely appropriate part of the game.”
Here are the key elements, per the USGA release.
Minimum Slope Indication Limit: A minimum slope indication limit of 4 percent (2.29 degrees) is proposed (this includes lines, arrows, numbers or any other indicators); this will have the effect of eliminating such indicators of slope from those areas of the putting green where the hole is most likely to be positioned (which tend to be cut on reasonably flat sections of the putting green with a degree of slope of less than 3.5 percent – or 2 degrees). This proposed limit also equates roughly with the amount of slope that is readily visible to the naked eye.
Maximum Scale Limit: A maximum scale of 3/8 inch to 5 yards (1:480) is proposed; this will limit the size in print form to a pocket-sized publication and has the effect of restricting the space for handwritten notes (also referenced below).
Indicative Information: General information that is included in traditional yardage books or course guides, such as basic illustrations that show the outline of the putting green and include indicative information like the tops of ridges or general slopes, will continue to be permitted.
Handwritten Notes: Handwritten notes will continue to be allowed, but such notes cannot be used to create either a direct copy or a facsimile (replica) of a detailed green map.
If you’d like to know what this theory might look like in practice, check out these illustrations from the USGA.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship
GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.
While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.
Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Michael Block – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Patrick Reed – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cam Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Josh Speight – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Takumi Kanaya – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kyle Mendoza – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Adrian Meronk – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jordan Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jeremy Wells – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jared Jones – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Somers – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Larkin Gross – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tracy Phillips – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Keita Nakajima – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kazuma Kobori – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- David Puig – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Ryan Van Velzen – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brad Marek – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rich Beem WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Phil Mickelson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Matt Dobyns – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Lucas Herbert – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jason Dufner – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Daly – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Taylor Gooch – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dean Burmester – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dustin Johnson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
Pullout Albums
- Ping putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Bettinardi covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cameron putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Max Homa – Titleist 2 wood – 2024 PGA Championship
- Scotty Cameron experimental putter shaft by UST – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – new Ping putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka’s new Cameron putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s Cobra bag and Aerojet driver – 2024 PGA Championship
- Super Stroke grip – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tiger Woods – 2024 PGA Championship
- Michael Block’s new TaylorMade “Proto” 7-iron, from address – 2024 PGA Championship
- Odyssey putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
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News
Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue
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News
Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls
This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)
This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms
There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.
This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.
Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.
Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte
Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.
Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.
HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!
He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week
It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.
The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.
Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.
Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie
Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.
In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.
Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.
At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.
Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024
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Tee-Bone
Aug 2, 2018 at 1:48 pm
At this point, the USGA is completely dysfunctional. Green maps do not read the green for you by indicating the correct starting line. That must still be done by the player. Green maps do not remove that skill. So I ask…WHY?
david
Aug 2, 2018 at 6:41 am
Putting a line on a golf ball to putt in my opinion is cheating; it runs contrary to the spirit of the game. We don’t allow players to use alignment rods on the fairways to line up a shot, so why do we allow a player to use a line? And it slows play immensely. I’m all for banning yardage books completely, green reading is a skill; this is like allowing calculators for students in a math test.
Frankie
Aug 2, 2018 at 7:07 pm
Would you rather take a trigonometry test with abnormal angles (not 45, 90, 135, 180, etc.) and have to figure out approximate sin, cos, and tan for those angles without a calculator? Hmmmm….
Joe
Aug 1, 2018 at 6:35 pm
The game of golf should be a game of athleticism and judgement, not a game for physic majors. KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid.
GolfDonkey
Aug 1, 2018 at 5:49 pm
This is all so dumb. No need to ban the books
Tom54
Aug 1, 2018 at 2:06 pm
I believe the green reading books just adds another layer of preparation for a putt. By the time they consult the book,visually look at all angles,precisely line it up with the line on the ball and then hit the putt a lot of time has gone by. I agree that laser finders should be allowed. Last player to hit in group from fairway should already have yardage when it’s his turn. How many times has the camera gone to that player and they’re still looking at the book? I know they are playing for lots of money but Rodney said it best with “Let’s go while we’re young”
Tartan Golf Travel
Aug 1, 2018 at 1:21 pm
Not sure why they didn’t ban the books entirely but outside of that I like the rule. Green reading is a skill. Give the guys rangefinders….yardage is common knowledge. The most boring part of watching golf is when the caddie and they player are both just looking at a book!
Ray Neese
Aug 1, 2018 at 10:13 pm
They should ban caddies from reading as well and lining up shots. Even though they move before a player hits,lining up is part of the skill of golf.
Jack Nash
Aug 1, 2018 at 12:57 pm
It’s about time they did this. Should have been nipped in the bud right off. Green reading is an art, and how many players have been aided just like the long & belly putters.
Funkaholic
Aug 1, 2018 at 10:13 am
I wonder how many strokes I could shave if I had this kind of information, conditions and time on my local public course.
Jack Nash
Aug 1, 2018 at 12:55 pm
I think there’s even golf apps for ur phone out now.
Funkaholic
Aug 1, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Yes but, I don’t have the time to stand over my ball 5 minutes before every shot with a personal adviser helping me make my decisions on a perfectly manicured course. The Pros are spoiled.
OninTwoDowninOne
Aug 2, 2018 at 3:42 am
Yes, I agree they are spoiled. Play on well conditioned courses, follow perfect weather conditions, a spotter every shot, never lose a ball, an adviser for every shot, get relief from impossible situations just by asking, Ball deflectors in play, food on the course.
doofer
Aug 1, 2018 at 2:04 am
Aw shucks… you can goose up the ball but you can’t use green reading stuff?!!
CrashTestDummy
Jul 31, 2018 at 11:39 pm
I like this change. Puts more responsibility on the player to setup their own shots. Also, like that they disallowed caddies lining up the player before hitting. The responsibility should be on the player to read a putt and line themselves up.
Bruce Ferguson
Jul 31, 2018 at 7:08 pm
At least you don’t have to worry about green-reading aids at the US Open.
Balls just roll off the greens, anyway . . .
Travis
Jul 31, 2018 at 7:01 pm
This is making the green reading books so complicated… and what, are they going to search every green reading book every round?!
Why not just ban them entirely?
Yet another way the USGA makes this whole situation WAY more complicated than it has to be… Mike Davis is a total tard.
DB
Aug 1, 2018 at 8:33 am
I also tend to think Mike Davis is a nerd who should be shoved back into a locker, but… this is a welcome change. Lots of people have had issues with the growing complexity of these books.
There are restrictions on clubs and various other things – and nobody has to inspect every club every round. Everyone knows the rules and they follow the rules. I think it’s pretty clear. You can have a green chart showing ridges and false-fronts, general direction, etc. But once you start mapping it out with precise slope measurements you’ve broken the rule.
Wiger Toods
Jul 31, 2018 at 6:58 pm
It isn’t about the data. It’s about slow play.
Anders Loch
Aug 1, 2018 at 10:17 am
Green books actually speed up play by allowing one to make a read faster.
Jesper Pickering
Jul 31, 2018 at 5:52 pm
They should just ban any lines on the balls. It takes way too much time to align line on ball, and it removes the skills to properly setup and aim. It’s fine by me with the measurements/green books and that not. You have the same insight if it is your home course
ChipNRun
Jul 31, 2018 at 2:05 pm
I served as marshal on the No. 14 for the 2013 Senior PGA at Bellerive CC.
During a practice round, one player finished the hole and broke out some real hardware. He had a carpenter’s level, a 12-inch wooden ruler and a small looseleaf notebook. He took about six level readings around each of the proposed cup positions, rolled the ball around by hand, and furiously took notes.
After about five minutes, his playing partner said, “Hey, the next group wants to hit in…”
End of sad story: He failed to make 36-hole cut by five strokes.
—————-
* Yes, Bellerive is hosting the 100th PGA Championship in a few days.
Tom
Jul 31, 2018 at 12:33 pm
What if the player makes his own version of a green reading book, like the yardage books they currently are allowed to use? Will the USGA subcontract TSA agents to body cavity search players?
Instead, the USGA should put time expectations in place and severely penalize(disqualify)those who can’t play 18 holes in 4 hours. It’s not that complicated.
3puttPar
Jul 31, 2018 at 2:09 pm
A tournament round in 4 hours has never happened, and will never happen. This unreal expectation of putting a time limit on golf has become ridiculous.
If you cant set aside ample time to play or watch golf, find something else to do.
Joe
Aug 1, 2018 at 12:59 pm
#ShotClockMasters
MJB-Golf
Aug 2, 2018 at 6:48 am
True….Fastest 3-ball round on Thursday 3h 48min. Average time cut off each group was recorded to 33min. Did we find it stressful? No, not even the slow players. But we had to get on with what we are supposed to do out there, check yardage, wind direction, make a decision, grove it in and pull the trigger. No time for second and third thoughts about every single decision made. Great format and equal time for all players making it a fair tournament. “Thumbs Up” 🙂
PT
Aug 2, 2018 at 12:50 pm
Did you walk? Use a rangefinder? Or that silly thing on your cart? And were millions of dollars and FedEx Cup points, and qualification status at stake?
Trying walking off every yardage next time and walk that course. And then see if you can still shoot your own course record next time
Greg V
Jul 31, 2018 at 12:21 pm
Will the makers of these green reading books sue the USGA?
I saw a phone app that had the same technology. They must be hugely disappointed.
GFan
Jul 31, 2018 at 11:32 am
Fantastic news from the USGA + R&A. If they could also prohibit the caddies from helping to read greens than we would see some even more interesting results from those professional players.
Dave
Jul 31, 2018 at 1:18 pm
The caddie is part of the player…. read the rule book.