Out with the old, and in with the new? Not quite, but come Saturday - January 1st, 2000 - golfers everywhere, and that includes Ireland, must come to terms with a number of significant Rule changes which have been sanctioned by the Royal and Ancient and the United States Golf Association as part of the four-yearly review of the Rules of Golf.

Although major changes have been kept to a minimum, a number of Rules have been amended or re-drafted in what the R & A claim is "a continuing attempt to make the game's laws easy to understand and apply."

One rule change will affect players who use caddies. From Saturday, players will no longer be allowed to have their partner or caddie stand behind them on the line of play when hitting shots anywhere on the course. Previously, this prohibition was limited to the putting green.

As the 1900s progressed, a moan that grew louder by the day was the blight of slow play, and the governing bodies have attempted to encourage speedier play for the new Millennium with the emphasis - in a new paragraph under Etiquette - on the importance of playing a provisional ball if the original ball may be lost outside a water hazard or out-of-bounds. And there is an amendment of the definition of ground under repair to state that a ball is off the ground in a bush or tree rooted in ground under repair!

Rule 20-2c has been amended to clarify that a ball must be redropped if it comes to rest nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief or maximum available relief. A new definition of the nearest point of relief is included in the Rule governing immovable obstructions, abnormal ground conditions and wrong putting green. It is now deemed to be "the point on the course, nearest to where the ball lies, which is not nearer the hole and at which, if the ball were so positioned, no interference (as defined) would exist".

Relief without penalty from abnormal ground conditions (Rule 25-1), including ground under repair, will no longer be permitted in a water hazard (Rule 25-1b).

Interestingly, Appendix I - Local Rules and Conditions of Competition - has been substantially amended. Changes include recommended wording of local rules for environmentally-sensitive areas and temporary obstructions, advice on preferred lies and new sections on deciding ties and making draws for matchplay.

Of interest to the more competitive amateur golfer, the upper limit for prizes in competition has not been increased from a retail value of Stg£300, but prizes to this value can now be presented for 18-hole and 36-hole events.

There is also a new rule permitting amateur golfers to receive a limited amount of expenses for giving instruction to juniors as part of a programme approved by their governing body.

Revised guidelines have also been set for players awaiting reinstatement as amateurs and it is recommended that those in breach for under two years should be reinstated after one year, two to 10 years after two years and over 10 years after three years. For the first time, an appeals procedure for decisions made on forfeiture and reinstatement has been incorporated.

The new Rule book (some four million have been produced and distributed to all English-speaking countries with the exception of North America, thanks to sponsorship from Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance) is slightly expanded with the use of colour and different type faces aimed at making it easier to find relevant sections. It also contains the excellent advice: "Play the ball as it lies. Play the course as you find it and, if you can't do either, do what is fair. But to know what is fair, you need to know the Rules of Golf." A copy is available, free of charge, from your club.