The R&A, golf’s world governing body and organiser of The Open Championship, today announced revisions to the Rules of Amateur Status, which allow leading amateur golfers to assist in the promotion of the game.
Under Rule 6-2, restrictions will be eased allowing leading amateur players of skill or reputation to have their name or likeness used in the promotion of their national unions and associations. This will also extend, with the agreement of the national union, to competitions and other events that are considered to be in the best interests of the game.
This Rule change follows the recent comprehensive revision of the Rules of Amateur Status introduced in 2006, which brought the Rules of The R&A and USGA closer, than ever before, to a unified code.
Announcing the changes to the Rules of Amateur Status effective from 1 January 2008, R&A director of rules and equipment standards, David Rickman said, “The hard work put in by so many national bodies to develop the game makes this a sensible and pragmatic approach for the benefit and promotion of amateur golf.
“Looking to the future, The R&A believes that the time is right for a fundamental review of the Rules of Amateur Status and this will be conducted over the next four-year period.”
The new Rules of Amateur Status are reproduced in the 2008 Rules of Golf, the most widely read rule book in sport, supported by Rolex.
The R&A www.RandA.org
Notes
1. Rule 6-2. Lending Name or Likeness
An amateur golfer of golf skill or reputation must not use that skill or reputation to obtain payment, compensation, personal benefit or any financial gain, directly or indirectly, for allowing his name or likeness to be used for the advertisement or sale of anything.
Exception: An amateur golfer of golf skill or reputation may allow his name or likeness to be used to promote: (a) his national, regional, state or county union or association; or (b) subject to the permission of his national union, (i) any golf competition or other event that is considered to be in the best interests of, or would contribute to the development of, the game or (ii) a recognised charity (or similar good cause). The amateur golfer must not obtain any payment, compensation or financial gain, directly or indirectly, for doing so.
Note: An amateur golfer may accept golf equipment from anyone dealing in such equipment provided no advertising is involved.
2. Copies of the R&A Rules of Golf are reproduced under licence in twenty-five languages, in addition to English: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish and Thai.
3. The R&A will conduct a series of seminars based on the revised rules of play and amateur status rules, for national golf unions, in Japan, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand before the end of the year (2007).
4. The R&A is golf’s world rules and development body and organiser of The Open Championship. It operates with the consent of 130 national, international, amateur and professional organisations, from almost 120 countries and on behalf of an estimated 30 million golfers in Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and The Americas (outside the USA and Mexico). The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the game’s governing body in the United States and Mexico.
The R&A www.randa.org