Local Rules

Part 1 – Local Rules

Updated – June, 2019

Flower Beds: All flower beds throughout the course are NO play zones. . Relief is taken under Rule 16-1. Ball must be dropped within one club length of the nearest point of complete relief, not closer to the hole. No penalty.

Equipment:   If a club is damaged it can be replaced if not caused by abuse

Yellow and Red Penalty Stakes and Lines: When a red penalty area is defined on only one side, it is deemed to extend to infinity. When a yellow or red penalty area is bounded by out of bounds, the penalty margin extends to and coincides with the out of bounds line.

Additional relief option:   When the ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area on the left hand side of the fairway of Hole #4 as an extra relief option the player may drop the original ball or another ball on the opposite side of the penalty area that is the same distance from the hole as the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area.  Two club length relief with one penalty stroke.

French Drain on right side of Hole #4:  French Drains are gravel filled trenches designed to improve course drainage. Relief is taken under Rule 16-1.   Ball must be dropped within one club length of the nearest point of complete relief, not closer to the hole. No penalty.

Public road between Hole #10 and Hole #11 is considered part of red penalty area – no relief given without penalty.

Wooden structure behind green on Hole #14:   This wooden structure is considered an integral part of the course and no relief is given without penalty.

Driving Range Netting:  Relief is taken under Rule 16-1.   Ball must be dropped within one club length of the nearest point of complete relief, not closer to the hole. No penalty.

Driving Range:   The driving range on the left side of Hole #10 has a designated drop area which is right of the driving range. Ball substitution is allowed.   No penalty.

The driving range is considered out of bounds from Hole #17 and Hole #18.

NO Play Zone (Green/Red Stakes) on right side of Hole 18:  If the ball is found in or if it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in the No Play Zone., the player must, under penalty of one stroke, proceed under Rule 17-1. Play or searching for ball is not allowed in this No Play Zone. Relief options the same as red penalty area.

#4 Hole

The rock wall on the right hand side of Hole #4 is no longer a Immovable Obstruction.   There is a stream running next to the wall so it has been included in the penalty area.

The retaining stone wall (immovable obstruction/abnormal course condition) that is in the ditch on the right-hand side of #4 fairway is no longer in a penalty area. You can take relief from this wall without penalty if it interferes with your stance or area of swing. However, you MUST take complete relief at the nearest point of complete relief.  Nearest does not mean nicest so if your ball is in the ditch next to the wall when taking relief, you will remain in the ditch.

To determine the reference point (nearest point of compete relief) you use the club you will use to make your next shot. Let’s say you decide on a 9-iron. What direction can you move the ball? You can’t move it closer to the hole, so forward is out. Can you go left? Right? Behind? Using your 9-iron, try setting up for a shot (or picture doing so) in each direction. Make sure you are taking full relief from the wall. How far is it from these potential locations to where your golf ball came to rest next to the wall? The spot that is closest to the original position without being closer to the hole is your nearest point of complete relief. Tis is your reference point and you should put a tee down. Then to take relief you use your longest club in your bag other than your putter and you get one club length.

 

 

 

 

Part 2 – Other Rules

Ball Moved 

Ball at Rest Moved – A player was standing near his ball that was lying just off the green in the rough. As he was waiting for another player in his group to play, his club was leaning against his body and the club slipped off his leg and fell onto his ball moving it slightly. He consulted with a Rules Official and the Official explained to him that he incurs a one-stroke penalty and the ball must be replaced to its original place. (Rule 9.4)

If he had not replaced his ball he would have been assessed a two stroke penalty for playing from the wrong place.

Ball at Rest Moved – A player was on the 18th green putting for birdie. His putt missed, but left him with a tap-in par. When the player addressed his ball for the tap-in, the ball moved slightly. Uncertain what to do, the player moved the ball back to its original location and tapped in the short putt. Minutes later at the scoring table, he brought up the incident. After gaining all the facts, it was found that the ball moved immediately when the player placed his club behind the ball. The Committee determined that the player had accidentally caused his ball to move and since the ball was on the putting green there is no penalty and the player must replace the ball. The player scored a four on the hole. (Rule 9.4 Exception 2) If the player had not caused the ball to move that it had been moved by” natural forces” such as
wind he would not have had to replace the ball. If he did replace it he would be playing from a wrong place and would be assessed a two stroke penalty.

When the ball is moved by “natural forces” you play the ball from its new location without penalty with one exception: If you are on the putting green and have marked, lifted and replaced your ball you MUST replace the ball if it is moved by natural forces. Again, if you don’t you would be assessed a two stroke penalty for playing from the wrong place

Wrong Ball & Disqualification

In a round a player hit her tee shot left towards some bushes on the 10th hole. Unsure if the ball could be found, she played a provisional down the center of the fairway. The player reached the area where her original ball is likely to be and after a brief search (less than 3 minutes), a fellow player finds her ball in a bush. The player then determined the ball was unplayable and mistakenly decided to play her provisional ball. Remember – a provisional ball is ONLY for a ball that is lost or out of bounds. The moment you find your original ball within three minutes and it is not out of bounds, your provisional ball no longer exists. When the player played the ball from the fairway, she played a wrong ball, incurring a two-stroke penalty and she must correct the error. The player finished the hole with the provisional ball and teed off on the 11th hole. A Rules official was told of the incident, the Official met with the player, and since she did not correct the error before teeing off on the 11th hole she was disqualified. (Rule 6.3c)

Note: To play a provisional ball you MUST announce you are playing a provisional ball. If you play a second ball and you have not announced, you are playing a provisional you are proceeding under Stroke and Distance. Your original ball is no longer in play it is lost – if you play it the same as the incident above you are playing a wrong ball and you must correct with a two-stroke penalty or you are disqualified.

Stroke and Distance: Playing a ball from where the previous stroke was made.

The term stroke and distance means that the player both:

  • Gets one penalty stroke and
  • Loses the benefit of any gain of distance towards the hole from the spot where the previous stroke was made

Embedded Ball

Rule Change: Relief for an Embedded Ball Relief is allowed without penalty only when your ball is embedded in the general area or putting green. If your ball is embedded on the putting green, you may mark the spot of your ball, lift and clean it, repair the damage, and replace your ball on its original spot.

Exceptions – When Relief Not Allowed for Ball Embedded in General Area:

  • When your ball is embedded in sand in a part of the general area that is not cut to fairway height or less, or
  • When interference by anything other than your ball being embedded makes your stroke clearly unreasonable (for example, when you are unable to make a stroke because of where your ball lies in a bush)

Your ball is embedded only if it is in its own pitch-mark made as a result of your previous stroke and part of your ball is below the level of the ground.

Your ball is embedded only if it is in its own pitch-mark made as a result of your previous stroke and part of your ball is below the level of the ground.

The player drops the original ball or a substituted ball within one club-length of (but not nearer the hole than) the spot right behind where the ball was embedded.

**General Area – the area of the course that covers all the course except for the four defined areas: teeing area of hole you are playing, penalty areas, bunkers and the putting green of the hole you are playing.