• A lot has transpired between the MGA and the FBGC.
• All MGA-donated tournament money and entry fee money will go to club credit, not cash. Credit can be used everywhere at the course except the drink cart - for greens fees, snack bar, clothing,balls, etc.
• There will be a lock box installed soon near the computer for tournament entry forms and cash. Cash will be required with your entry. A stapler will be there along with entry forms. No longer will entry fees be paid over the counter in the pro shop.
• There was some discussion of entry fees increasing the closer to tournament day to encourage early entry. Late entries only add pressure to the Tournament Director and Pro Shop personnel. Talk to Lee about your thoughts on this idea.
• We are guaranteed shotgun starts (except for the club championship).
• The FBCG membership application will also include an MGA application at the bottom and you can pay it to the FBGC at the same time - cash, check or credit card. You can still pay your MGA dues the conventional way - through the pouch or P.O. box, but not by credit card.
• We are soliciting members to remember the MGA in your will or by adding a codicil if you already have a will. If you want to leave a note with your will that you wish a sum to go to the MGA or the Scholarship Trust, you may do so, but it is not required that your executor follow that direction - most do, though.
• We will begin working with the FBCG and realtors to host informational lunches to encourage them to think of the FBGC & MGA in giving recommendations to new buyers.

Most notably, there are 10 fewer rules: 24 versus 34.  And, for the most part, they are more understandable and more accommodating to the realities of today’s game.

To summarize:

Regarding the “stroke and distance” penalty for hitting a ball out of bounds: the new rules will provide for a local rule “to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty.” The change is intended to support pace of play and is not for higher levels such as professionals and elite amateurs.

Accidentally moving your ball on the putting green won’t cost you a stroke

No additional penalty for hitting a ball in motion. The “double hit”.

No penalty if your ball in motion accidentally hits you or your equipment.

Embedded-ball relief anywhere except in a bunker.

No penalty for hitting an unattended flagstick if you are putting while on the green. This may or may not be to your advantage.

You can repair “spike marks, and other damage made by shoes, animal damage and other damage on the putting green.” There is no penalty for touching the line of putt. 

There also are more generous applications regarding relief from hazards and other penalty areas. Under the new rules, a player will be able to move loose impediments in a bunker and touch the sand with club or hand. It goes without saying, it is hoped, that this is not for players to improve their lie therein. 

In relief situations, you can drop from the knee, not shoulder, level. 

The time searching for a lost ball is down to three minutes from five.

The 600-page Decisions on the Rules of Golf doorstop is gone. It will be replaced by three volumes: Player’s Edition of the Rules of Golf, the Rules of Golf and the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf. There will be more than 30 “how to apply” videos and a summary of the principal changes available at www.usga.org/rules and www.RandA.org or try this: https://sports.yahoo.com/nine-changes-rules-golf-absolutely-192449723.html