As part of their governance of the game through writing and interpreting the Rules of Golf, the USGA and The R&A have authorized these Modified Rules for use by players with disabilities.
These Modified Rules only apply if adopted by the Committee in charge of a competition. They do not apply automatically to every competition involving players with disabilities.
It is up to each Committee to decide whether to adopt any of these Modified Rules for its own competitions.
The goal of these Modified Rules is to allow a player with a disability to play fairly with players who have no disabilities, the same disability or different types of disabilities. The USGA and The R&A have received valuable input from the community of players with disabilities, disability organizations and other sources to identify modifications that are fair and appropriate from all perspectives.
From a practical standpoint, players with certain disabilities often have the same or similar needs. Four such categories of disability have been identified:
Players who are blind,
Players who are amputees,
Players who use assistive mobility devices, and
Players with intellectual disabilities.
These authorized modifications adapt the Rules of Golf for these categories of disability.
All terms in italics are defined in the Rules of Golf, and all Rule number references are to the Rules of Golf.