Purpose:
For a player who has an intellectual disability, Modified Rule 4 provides recommendations to allow the player to be assisted by both an aide and a caddie at the same time and to get advice from that aide.
The Committee may adopt one or more of these recommended modifications for players with intellectual disabilities:
The extent of help that players with intellectual disabilities may need will be unique to each individual and will depend on the nature of the disability.
The Committee may provide or allow for an on-course aide or supervisor to help players with intellectual disabilities:
An aide is someone who helps an individual player with an intellectual disability in his or her play and in applying the Rules:
An aide has the same status under the Rules as a caddie (see Rule 10.3), but with the exceptions described in Modified Rule 4.3.
For purposes of Rule 10.2a, a player may ask for and get advice from both an aide and a caddie at the same time.
A supervisor is someone designated by the Committee to help players with intellectual disabilities during the competition:
The supervisor is not assigned to a specific player, but rather is there to help any player as needed.
A supervisor is an outside influence for purposes of the Rules.
A player may not ask for or get advice from a supervisor.
A player with an intellectual disability may have only one aide at a time.
If a player has more than one aide at a time, the player gets the general penalty for each hole where that breach happened, in the same way as provided in Rule 10.3a(1).
The aide for a player with an intellectual disability may also serve as the player’s caddie, but is not required to do so.
The player may have both an aide and a caddie at the same time, in which case:
That aide must not carry or handle the player’s clubs except in helping the player in taking a stance or lining up before making the stroke (if authorized by the Committee), or in helping the player as a courtesy as provided in the definition of caddie. But this does not modify Rule 10.2b(3) (Prohibition on Using Object Placed on Course to Help in Taking Stance).
If that aide carries or handles the player’s clubs in breach of this Rule, the player has two caddies at the same time and gets the general penalty for each hole where that breach happened (see Rule 10.3a(1)).
When a player’s ball lies on the putting green, Rule 14.1b is modified so that the player’s aide, in addition to his or her caddie, may lift the ball without the player’s authorization.
For players with both intellectual and physical disabilities, it is recommended that the Committee use a combination of the Modified Rules so that both types of disabilities are addressed.