Model Local Rules: options a Committee may adopt.

What a Model Local Rule is

Rule 1.3a of the 2023 Rules of Golf, in effect from 1 January 2023, says "the Rules" include any Local Rules the Committee adopts for a course or competition. The R&A and the USGA publish a menu of Model Local Rules, each with a code such as E-5 or G-10, that Committees can choose from.

The R&A is clear that Model Local Rules are not changes to the Rules themselves. In its January 2026 article on the latest updates, it says new and amended Model Local Rules became available to Committees from 1 January 2026, and that they apply only where a Committee adopts them. The R&A also says new Model Local Rules are released through the quarterly updates to the Additional Clarifications, between full editions of the Rules. The next edition is due on 1 January 2028, the same article says.

Several of the options are meant only for elite events. Where the source says so, the table notes it.

Options golfers meet most often

Each row is a Model Local Rule. None of them applies unless the Committee adopts it.

The G-1 to G-8 details come from the Danish Golf Union's copy of the 2023 Official Guide, because the current official text of those rules was not read directly for this page.

A closer look at the ones that matter most

E-5: alternative to stroke and distance

Where the Committee has adopted E-5, a player whose ball is lost or out of bounds, and who has not played a provisional, may drop in a large area between where the ball is estimated to be and the edge of the fairway, not nearer the hole, for two penalty strokes. The Virginia State Golf Association calls it optional. The copy we read has no edition date. The full detail is on the lost ball and out of bounds page.

G-5: distance-measuring devices

Since 1 January 2019, distance-measuring devices have been allowed under the Rules unless a Local Rule bans them, the reverse of the earlier position. Rule 4.3 lets a Committee restrict them by Local Rule, and G-5 is the model for doing so. Where the Committee adopts G-5, breaches are penalised under Rule 4.3. See distance-measuring devices for what a device may show.

G-6 and G-9: the 2026 amendments

Where the Committee adopts G-6, the amended 2026 version lets it later approve a ride that a player accepted by mistake but reasonably, for example believing the driver was authorised. GOLF.com links the change to cart-ride incidents, including one at the 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur where a player lost a playoff hole after his caddie rode in a cart. Where the Committee adopts G-9, replacement is limited to broken or significantly damaged clubs, the replacement must fill the gap in the set, and players may repair a damaged club with parts from their own bag or parts another person on the course is carrying on their behalf.

G-10: club length

The R&A and USGA announced G-10 on 12 October 2021, available from 1 January 2022. It lets organisers of professional or elite amateur competitions limit clubs other than putters to 46 inches, with a measurement tolerance of 0.20 inches. The governing bodies said it is an optional tool for competition committees, not a Rule of Golf, so recreational golfers do not have to follow it. Where the Committee has adopted it, making a stroke with a longer club means disqualification, while carrying one is not penalised. See shafts for the length rules that apply to everyone.

Policies adopted as Local Rules

• Pace of play: Rule 5.6b says the Committee should adopt a Pace of Play Policy as a Local Rule, which may set maximum times for a round, a hole, a series of holes or a stroke, with penalties. See pace of play.
• Code of Conduct: since 2019, Committees may adopt a Code of Conduct with lesser penalties, where before they could only disqualify for a serious breach of etiquette, according to the USGA's summary of the 2019 changes.