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Forms, Rules & Regulations

CPGA Championship Rules of Golf

(Updated January 2022)

A list of Local Rules and Terms of the Competition (a.k.a. “Hard Card”) that will be in effect for all CPGA Major Championships and tournaments run by CPGA Headquarters can be found here:

CPGA Hard Card

With the many new Rules of Golf, the USGA has been issuing clarifications and explanations throughout the year. They can best be viewed at the USGA website here:

USGA Rules of Golf Clarifications

In addition to the above Hard Card, the CPGA will also implement these new Local Rules that have been added by the USGA since the publishing of the Rules of Golf on Jan 1, 2019:

Model Local Rule G-9:

  1. Local Rule G-9 for Replacement of Club that is Broken or Significantly Damaged:

Model Local Rule G-9

“Rule 4.1b(3) is modified in this way:

If a player’s club is “broken or significantly damaged” during the round by the player or caddie, except in cases of abuse, the player may replace the club with any club under Rule 4.1b(4).

When replacing a club, the player must immediately take the broken or significantly damaged club out of play, using the procedure in Rule 4.1c(1).

For the purposes of this Local Rule:

  • A club is “broken or significantly damaged” when:
    • the shaft breaks into pieces, splinters or is bent (but not when the shaft is only dented)
    • the club face impact area is visibly deformed (but not when the club face is only scratched)
    • the clubhead is visibly and significantly deformed
    • the clubhead is detached or loose from the shaft, or
    • the grip is loose.

Exception: A club face or clubhead is not “broken or significantly damaged” solely because it is cracked.

Penalty for Breach of Local Rule – See Rule 4.1b.”

Model Local Rule E-12:

Ball Played From Outside Relief Area When Taking Back-On-the-Line Relief

Purpose. A Committee may choose to introduce a Local Rule to provide for no penalty in specific circumstances when a ball is played from outside the relief area after taking back-on-the-line relief.

Under this Local Rule, a player will not be penalized for playing from a wrong place so long as the ball is dropped in the relief area and comes to rest within one club-length of where it first touched the ground.

For example, a ball rolls slightly forward of the reference point after having been dropped in the right way and in the relief area but is still within one club-length of where it first touched the ground when dropped. In such cases, the player can either proceed under Rule 14.3c(2) or the player can play the ball from where it came to rest.

This Local Rule is for use only in relation to the Back-On-the-Line relief procedure.

MLR E-12:

“When taking Back-On-the-Line relief, there is no additional penalty if a player plays a ball that was dropped in the relief area required by the relevant Rule (Rule 16.1c(2), 17.1d(2), 19.2b or 19.3b) but came to rest outside the relief area, so long as the ball, when played, is within one club-length of where it first touched the ground when dropped.

This exemption from penalty applies even if the ball is played from nearer the hole than the reference point (but not if played from nearer the hole than the spot of the original ball or the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area).

This Local Rule does not change the procedure for taking Back-On-the-Line relief under a relevant Rule. This means that the reference point and relief area are not changed by this Local Rule and that Rule 14.3c(2) can be applied by a player who drops a ball in the right way and it comes to rest outside the relief area, whether this occurs on the first or second drop.”

Condition of Competition for Grooves & Punch Marks

During the following Carolinas PGA tournaments, the player's clubs must conform to the groove and punch mark specifications in the Rules of Golf that are effective from January 1, 2010: Players Championship / PGA Tour RBC Heritage Member Qualifying, CPGA Assistant Professional Championship, CPGA Senior Professional Championship, and the CPGA Professional Championship. The condition will not apply to other CPGA majors, pro-ams, senior events, and other miscellaneous events. The Section’s Tournament Committee will be reviewing this position on an annual basis.

The PGA of America will implement the condition of competition for the PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and Grand Slam of Golf. The condition will also be in effect at the three PGA Member National Championships (PGA PNC, Senior PNC and Assistant PNC), the PGA Tournament Series, the PGA Junior Series and the PGA Junior Championship. The condition of competition will not be in effect for the PGA of America Member Winter Championship.

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The PGA Tour (including the Champions and Korn Ferry Tours), European PGA Tour, other members of the International Federation of PGA Tours and the LPGA has adopted this condition of competition at all tournaments beginning in 2017. The condition applies to PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and Champions Tour Monday (event) qualifiers; however, at Thursday pre-qualifiers, the condition will not be in effect.

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The condition of competition is in effect for all USGA qualifying events (beginning in 2014) including U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Amateur Public Links, U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, U.S. Women's Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur, U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, U.S. Senior Amateur, U.S. Senior Women's Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Girls' Junior, U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball. Players who wish to compete in the above USGA competitions, including local and sectional qualifying, must have equipment that conforms to the new grooves specifications.

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