The R&A has relaxed the rules on prize limits an amateur golfer may win when making a hole-in-one outside a round of golf (e.g. on a driving range, golf simulator, or putting green) provided that shot is at least 50 yards long.
The change of Rule 3-2b of the Rules of Amateur Status, which regulates hole-in-prizes, is designed to promote the game to new audiences, as well as eliminate unnecessary restrictions for event organisers.
In the longer term the R&A and the USGA are conducting a review of the entire Rules of Amateur Status to make them easier to understand and apply.
The comprehensive evaluation is part of the continued joint effort to modernise the Rules by reducing complexity and ensuring they effectively guide how the game is played today.
As part of a review process that began earlier this year, the governing bodies will seek the perspectives of golf’s stakeholders as an integral component of the review process, including elite amateurs, golf event organisers, national golf associations, professional golf associations and other industry partners.
The aim is to provide golfers with a modernised set of Amateur Status Rules in late 2021, with the goal of an effective date of 1 January 2022.