R&A and USGA look in to use of green books

The R&A and USGA have announced that they are looking in to the use of green books as part of their process to overhaul the current rules of golf. 

It’s been a very busy couple of months for the governing bodies of golf. From the announcement that the entire rule-book of golf is going to be slimmed down and become more user-friendly to the Lexi Thompson saga, they have had their hands full. 

Both organisations have tried to become far more reactionary when there are clear issues with the rules, shown by last week’s rule change to the use of video evidence  – which was a reaction to Lexi Thompson’s four-shot penalty that cost her the ANA Inspiration.

And now, it certainly appears that they have been listening to the reactions towards other parts of the game they should consider. 

When they announced their first proposals to the rules, some notable professionals of the game were quick to point out that they had missed a huge factor of slow play in the game: green books. 

Poulter went as far as to list the reasons why he believes the greens books should be banned.

And it is now clear the governing bodies were listening – and while they talk of a review in hope of reviving the skill of reading greens, much of the underlying reasons are most definitely closer linked to slow play. 

The statement:  “The R&A and USGA believe that a player’s ability to read greens is an essential part of the skill of putting.”

“Rule 14-3 limits the use of equipment devices that m ight assist a player in their play, based on the principle that golf is a challenging game in which success should depend on the judgement, skills and abilities of the player.”

“We are concerned about the rapid development of increasingly detailed materials that players are sing to help with reading greens during a round. We are reviewing the use of these materials to assess whether any actions need to be taken to protect this important part of the game. We expect to address this matter further in the coming months.”

And as expected, both Donald and Poulter were quick to respond to the news.