Seminar at Galloping Hill Preps Golfers for 2019 Rule Changes

The second of three free Rules of Golf seminars to be conducted in 2018 took place on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the Galloping Hill Golf Course, home of the NJSGA.

Like the initial seminar that took place two weeks earlier at the Watchung Valley Golf Club in Watchung, it also attracted a sellout crowd of 70 individuals representing a cross-section of New Jersey golf enthusiasts from high school golfers and coaches to PGA professionals, as well as senior men and women players and officials, and NJSGA staff and board members.

The third and final seminar for 2018 will take place on Dec. 12 at the Manasquan River Golf Club in Brielle. The event is sold out.

These two-hour seminars are for individuals who wish to familiarize themselves with the extensive Rules of Golf revisions set forth by the USGA and the R&A that come into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. These are the most extensive Rules of Golf revisions in decades and will potentially change the way the game is played for many.

“These seminars provide a great introduction to the rules revisions. We hope that for many of the people who came, the takeaway is that they will spend more time learning the rules. We attempt to cover the majority of the major rule changes in the seminars and provide a starting point for the attendees,” said Bard Bardon, NJSGA Manager of Tournaments and Operations who co-hosted the Nov. 27 event with NJSGA vice-president and tournament committee co-chairman Eric Houseknecht.

“In the spring, we will conduct several more seminars covering all of the Rules of Golf, some that are more in-depth and may last an entire day, and some which will be abbreviated. These will provide golfers and officials the opportunity to dig deeper into the new rules,” Bardon said.

As is the case with the 2018 seminars, all seminars set for 2019 will be open to the general public.

“These three seminars for 2018 emphasize the most important of the rules changes that will be implemented in 2019. In the spring, we will conduct seminars that discuss all of the Rules of Golf,” said Kevin Purcell, NJSGA executive director.

The Rules of Golf seminars set for early 2019 will enable players and officials to review the rules changes in greater detail. They are particularly useful for golf committee, handicap committee and NJSGA Board members as well as club professional staff and golf coaches, such as high school and collegiate golf instructors.

The seminars will focus on common rules situations encountered during every day play and at NJSGA championships, and will be taught by expert rules officials representing both the NJSGA and the USGA.