A confirmed historical change
The R&A and USGA announced the adopted 2023 update on 7 November 2022, with general commencement on 1 January 2023. Their notice expressly retained the 2019 edition for the rest of 2022. It does not identify a separate formal adoption date or a competition-specific early or delayed start for this change. See the official announcement.
This record documents the 2019-to-2023 transition, not a newly announced 2026 change.
Before and after: a ball rolls into a bunker
Illustrative example: during play, a player correctly completes a drop in the general area. The ball rests there, then wind moves it into a bunker before the player starts a backswing.
2019: Rule 9.3 required play from the new spot in the bunker, unless another applicable rule provided relief. See 2019 Rule 9.3.
2023: Exception 2 requires replacement at the spot where the ball rested after the drop, without a penalty for the wind-caused movement. See 2023 Rule 9.3.
Who is affected and where the exception stops
This is a general playing rule for golfers using The R&A/USGA code, including match play and stroke play; it is not an age-group concession.
Exception 2 requires the ball first to have come to rest after being dropped, placed or replaced. It does not cover every wind-blown ball. Movement that ends within the same course area does not trigger this exception. A ball already lifted and replaced on the putting green is governed by Exception 1 instead. The exception remains in the R&A’s online Rule 9.3 checked for this record.
For practical guidance beyond this historical comparison, see Ball Moving After a Drop.
Official evidence
- 2019 Rules of Golf: Rule 9.3, printed pages 51–52.
- 2023 Rules of Golf: Rule 9.3, printed pages 80–81; Rule 14.2.
- Joint announcement dated 7 November 2022: confirmed update and 1 January 2023 commencement.
- R&A online Rule 9.3: retained exception and its limitations.
Change status
Confirmed change
Effective from:
Before and after
| Situation | The R&A and USGA · 2019 Rules of Golf · Historical general playing rules for match play and stroke play under The R&A/USGA code; comparison concerns Rule 9.3 during play. | The R&A and USGA · 2023 Rules of Golf · General playing rules for match play and stroke play under The R&A/USGA code worldwide. Rule 9.3 Exception 2 is not restricted to a particular tour or age group. |
|---|---|---|
| Natural forces move a ball after it was dropped, placed or replaced | Under 2019 Rule 9.3, natural movement normally meant playing from the new spot, without a penalty for that movement. The exception covered a ball on the putting green already lifted and replaced. There was no equivalent exception for a dropped, placed or replaced ball subsequently moving into another course area or out of bounds. | 2023 Rule 9.3 Exception 2 requires replacement when a ball put into play by dropping, placing or replacing has come to rest and natural forces then move it into another area of the course or out of bounds. Replace it on the original spot, estimating that spot if necessary, under Rule 14.2. The putting-green exception remains separate. |
Rule editions and sources
- The R&A and USGA · 2019 Rules of Golf · Historical general playing rules for match play and stroke play under The R&A/USGA code; comparison concerns Rule 9.3 during play. — New Rules of Golf for 2019 — Updated June 2018
- The R&A and USGA · 2023 Rules of Golf · General playing rules for match play and stroke play under The R&A/USGA code worldwide. Rule 9.3 Exception 2 is not restricted to a particular tour or age group. — The R&A/USGA — Rules of Golf, 2023 edition, Rules 14–19 and Definitions