After years of research, debate, and sometimes heated discussions, a new revision of the PDGA Offical Rules of Disc Golf and the PDGA Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events has been finalized, printed, and published. The new version represents many changes, some big and some small, but we believe that all of them were necessary.

The text below is taken from pages 36 and 37 of the new PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf. Links to the current and new revisions are available at the bottom of this article.

Summary of Changes

In the opinion of the PDGA Rules Committee, the 2018 revision represents a large step forward. Far more effort has gone into it than into other revisions. There is a significant amount of change, which is summarized below. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write to the Rules Committee using the contact form on the PDGA website.

General

The rules have been restructured to more closely follow the order of events during the play of a hole. That makes it much easier to find the right rule, and it keeps related rules together. Rules that cover infrequent scenarios (such as misplay) are toward the end.

There is no longer a separate section for definitions. Terms are defined where they first appear. That way, there is no need to flip back and forth between the definitions and the rules. Each defined term is listed in an index in the back, along with the rule where it is defined.

The text of the rules has been rewritten into a less formal and more conversational style. For example, the word “shall” no longer appears.

New sections have been added to gather together similar rules: Regulated Routes, Regulated Positions, and Regulated Areas.

Rules for Match Play and Doubles have been added.

The Q&A’s have been rewritten, reorganized, and greatly expanded.

New Stuff

Relief Area: A Relief Area is essentially a penalty-free OB area. A TD can use a Relief Area to keep players out of certain areas of the course, for example, an area around a yellowjacket nest, an area under construction, or an area with protected plants.

Hazard: A Hazard is an area where you get a penalty but do not relocate the lie.

There’s a new OB option, available at the discretion of the TD: you play from the closest in-bounds point (similar to a lateral hazard in golf).

Major Rule Changes

The lie is now an area. It’s a rectangle 20cm wide and 30cm deep centered behind the marker.

Examples

Minor Rule Changes

If a throw does not change a player’s lie (for example, missing the island on an island hole), they throw again instead of waiting for others to throw.

There is no longer a re-throw after a stance violation. The throw counts.

There is no longer a warning for the first stance violation.

The five-meter limit on casual relief has been removed. You may go back along the line of play to the first available lie, however far that is.

A player may take free optional relief (back along the line of play) when placing the lie after taking a penalty for OB or above two meters. This is demonstrated in the illustrations below that detail section 803.02.

A player may abandon a throw at the cost of one penalty throw (other penalties are not counted). Abandoned Throw replaces Optional Re-throw.

The mandatory rules have been clarified by limiting them to penalizing throws that pass the wrong side of the mandatory. The most important part is that the only line that matters is the one that extends to the incorrect side of the mandatory (two lines to the outside for a double mandatory).

A target for a hole other than the one being played is subject to the two-meter rule.

If an OB area has a drop zone, the TD may allow you to go directly there at the cost of two penalty throws (rather than trying to throw over an OB lake, for example).

You are guaranteed a lie up to one meter from all OB (handles OB lines that create a corner).

The rule for completing the hole has been simplified. Your disc must enter the target correctly and then be supported by the target.

Practice throw has been redefined.

A throw that travels less than 5 meters in the air to return a disc to a player or your bag is not a practice throw.

The consensual interference rule (formerly 804.03.G) has been removed.

Accidentally interfering with your own throw (for example, if your putt rolls back and hits you or your bag) incurs a one-throw penalty. As before, intentional interference with your own (or anyone else’s) throw incurs a two-throw penalty.

You can move a disc that has landed on or behind your lie.

A player who is not present to play a hole gets par plus four.

A player who starts on the wrong hole and/or in the wrong group receives a two-throw penalty.

A new set of rules inevitably means we will need a new PDGA Certified Rules Official Exam. If you are currently a PDGA Certified Rules Official, your status will continue and will remain until its current expiration date. At this point, we are not requiring anyone that already certified to re-take the exam, nor is the new exam something that is available to the public as of yet.

Please keep in mind that the current revision of the PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf and the PDGA Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events will remain in effect through the end of 2017.

The 2018 revision of the PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf and PDGA Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events is available for purchase now at the PDGA Store. All new PDGA members and members renewing their membership for 2018 will receive a hard copy of these new revisions in their 2018 membership package so join now or renew your membership today.

PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf

PDGA Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events

Update to provide context for the 2018 Official Rules of Disc Golf - Section 803.02 (October 20th, 2017)

Three new diagrams have been added to the article based on feedback we’ve seen and heard from PDGA members and nonmembers alike. The first diagram helps explain what is considered a legal stance in the new lie area behind a marker disc (802.05). The second and third diagrams help demonstrate different situations that pertain to the Relief from Obstacles section (803.02).

Update to provide context for the 2018 Competition Manual for Disc Golf - Section 1.10 (October 19th, 2017)

The changes in this section came about for various reasons after many, many PDGA Competition Committee discussions that included other PDGA BOD and Staff members alike. Some of the most notable talking points that helped push these changes were as follows:

Amateur player complaints (and a BOD request) concerning a player winning an Amateur Worlds title despite previously accepting cash in a Professional division, in a PDGA-sanctioned event, prior to becoming a PDGA member.

Amateur player and Tournament Director complaints about non-members jumping back and forth and "poaching" both cash in Professional divisions and merchandise in Amateur divisions.

Professional player complaints about non-members and Amateur members taking winnings out of the Pro divisions purses.

Tournament Director complaints about having to come up with large quantities of merchandise to payout Amateurs in Pro divisions.

The PDGA Competition Committee will be releasing another article next week that explains the reasoning behind many of the most significant changes in both the PDGA Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events. We will continue to add what we see as some of the most vital feedback directly to this article as we work toward the release of the full article next week.