Golf’s governing bodies are looking at rules that will enforce limitations on green-reading books usage at the elite level.
The Model Local Rule will become an official rule in 2022 and will give power to tournament committees to limit players to using only the yardage book that they have approved in advance of the tournament.
The hope is that this new rule means books will only show minimal detail of any individual slopes or breaks that apply to a particular green.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy said that the rule would be for the “greater good of the game” when asked about it earlier this year.
“I use a greens book and I’d like to get rid of them,” McIlroy said.
“It’s not that it’s an advantage really, it’s just taking away a skill that takes time and practice to be mastered. I think reading greens is a real skill that some people are better at than others, and it just nullifies that.”