Local Rules
PLEASE NOTE:
These will change from time to time
Last revised: 6th Nov 2021
This section covers the various local rules that are in place at the club with some additional information to help you understand each rule a little better and how to apply it in our circumstances.
Beware of snakes on the course!
This might seem a little obvious but what do you do if you can't get near your ball?
Rule 16.2b Relief For Dangerous Animal Condition becomes your friend!
For purposes of this Rule, the nearest point of complete relief means the nearest point (not nearer the hole) where the dangerous animal condition does not exist. If it is not safe to retrieve your ball you can put another ball in play.
Plugged balls through the green.
What's this 'through the green'? This simply means anywhere on the golf course and given there are no bunkers at our course the rules are pretty straight forward.
Rule 16.3 Enbedded Ball covers what you can do and it is simply dropping the ball within one club length not nearer the hole.
Ball or ball marker accidentally moved on green - ball or marker replaced on its original position - no penalty.
There is no penalty if the player, opponent or another player in stroke play accidentally moves the player’s ball or ball-marker on the putting green.
The player must:
Replace the ball on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated) (see Rule 14.2), or
Place a ball-marker to mark that original spot.
Exception – Ball Must Be Played as It Lies When Ball Begins to Move During Backswing or Stroke and Stroke Is Made (see Rule 9.1b)
Tree roots - fairway only - to be treated as GUR
"If a player's ball is at rest in a portion of the general area cut to fairway height or less and there is interference from exposed tree roots that are in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less, the tree roots are treated as ground under repair. The player may take free relief under Rule 16.1b.
NOTE: Interference does not exist if the tree roots only interfere with the player's stance.
Bare patches on fairways and greens - nearest point of relief not nearer the hole.
This is another one that comes under the Committee Procedures within the Rules of Golf. If you want to take a look at what the ruling is for relief check out Rule 16.1b.
Otherwise take it as written for this local rule. 😉
If ball Out of Bounds or lost, replacement ball may be dropped in the vicinity of where the ball was last deemed in play within 2 club lengths on the fairway. 2 stroke penalty.
"When a player's ball has not been found or is known or virtually certain to be out of bounds, the player may proceed as follows rather than proceeding under stroke and distance.
For two penalty strokes, the player may take relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in this relief area (see Rule 14.3)
The key thing to remember with this one is once you have dropped your ball you are now playing your 4th shot. It would be no different if you played a provisional ball from the tee (which is counted as your 3rd shot) and then hitting it again from the fairway being the 4th shot!
COMING SOON: Here's a little video that might help explain things and using the 12th hole as the example. 🤔
Relief from embedded stones through the green - to be treated as GUR.
Abnormal Course Conditions and Integral Objects
This is similar to the tree roots and the bare patches.
Again, if you want to take a look at what the ruling is for relief check out Rule 16.1b.