New Golf Model Local Rules for 2026: What Changed and When They Apply
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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of the R&A's January 14, 2026 article on new and updated Model Local Rules and the Committee Procedures in the official Rules of Golf, checked October 29, 2026. A Local Rule only applies if the Committee running your round or competition adopts it, so check your club's posted Local Rules.
The Rules of Golf themselves aren't changing until the next edition, which the R&A says takes effect 1 January 2028. But the R&A and USGA made several new and amended Model Local Rules (MLRs) available to committees from 1 January 2026, as part of their quarterly Clarifications updates.
The key point from the R&A: these are Local Rules, not changes to the Rules of Golf. They apply only when the Committee in charge has introduced them.
The six 2026 changes
| MLR | What it does | Where it's meant to be used |
|---|---|---|
| A-4 Internal out of bounds | New option: an internal boundary between holes can apply only to strokes from the teeing area, instead of every stroke on the hole | Club golf, for doglegs and safety |
| F-2 Embedded ball | New option: free relief when a referee determines your ball is embedded in a pitch mark made by another player's ball | Only competitions with live TV coverage and referees |
| E-14 Unaware ball moved | A player who didn't know they caused their ball to move and didn't replace it is not treated as playing from a wrong place; one penalty stroke under Rule 9.4b instead of two | Live televised events with video review |
| F-5 2+2 line of play relief | The familiar "two club-lengths" line-of-play relief near greens can extend to specific types of ground under repair, such as holes left by removed microphones | Mostly professional events |
| G-6 Motorized transportation | Purpose statement clarifies a committee can later approve a cart ride a player mistakenly but reasonably accepted | Any competition that bans carts |
| G-9 Broken or damaged clubs | A player may use components carried in their bag, or carried for them, to repair a broken club | Tours and elite amateur events, not club level |
What it means for a club golfer
- A-4 is the one you are most likely to meet. If your scorecard says an internal out of bounds applies "to the tee shot only," that's the new option: once you're off the tee, the internal boundary no longer counts.
- G-6 may matter on a walking-only competition day.
- The TV-only and elite-only options (F-2 extension, E-14, G-9) won't apply to a normal club medal.
For lost-ball and out-of-bounds relief, including the popular MLR E-5 alternative to stroke and distance, see our guide to Rule 18 and the provisional ball. Also see rangefinders vs. GPS watches for what the Rules say about distance devices.