Why do we have Local Rules?

The Rules of Golf are extensive and cover most circumstances but there are variations that need to be defined in order to be active for an event. Our League lasts all season and tries to use Local Rules to help speed or maintain the pace of play, keep things fair for all by defining special circumstances, and adopt Local Rules that are recommended by the Official Rules of Golf. 

In casual play, many of the circumstances that lead to using Local Rules are handled by common sense. Why walk back to the point of the last shot if you cannot find your ball?

The intent is to define Local Rules so that all of us play to the same set of rules throughout all weeks of Gaffers play. In addition, the Rules of Golf acknowledge the need for Local allowances so have ‘Local Rules’ templates which can help define what can be covered.

Extent of Penalty Areas (#8)

The Rules of Golf state that a Penalty Area is marked by red (or yellow) stakes (or by specific definition in a Local Rule). Our club uses stakes.

In order to determine the edge of a Penalty area if there is no defined line, then it is a direct line between two stakes. However, in our environment holes 8-15 have No Play Zones in the Penalty Areas and often because of the shape of the No Play Zone, you can sometimes stand in finely mown fairway and be technically in the Penalty Area! Conversely you can sometimes stand knee deep in Environmentally Sensitive plant-life and be outside the Penalty Area. In some courses, painted lines are used to delineate the edge, but Doon does not do that. So we have a local rule that the edge is defined by the line of the regularly mown area. 

Animal Damage (#14)

We all know how frustrating it is to be in an unkempt bunker where previous players have not cleaned up and raked the bunker after stomping around. No-one should have to do that as it makes a tricky enough shot harder. Similarly, unrepaired divots on the fairways are aggravating.

The Rules of Golf do not (of themselves) make any accommodation for these circumstances,  but allow us to repair damage caused by animals. The official Local Rules templates allow a ‘committee’ to define the specific (or generalised) types of animal for which damage may be repaired. We have adopted a Local Rule (#14) that identifies ‘Inconsiderate Prior Golfers’ as animals and therefore their messes may be cleared up. Be sure to read the subtleties of how to proceed!

Drop Areas (#9; #10; #15)

Our Drop Areas include one that KitchenerGolf provides (Hole 3) which is often marked, and two others (Hole 4; 8) which are not marked, but described in our Local Rules. Hole 4 provides a large drop area. There is a Penalty Area along the whole right side of that hole. Sometimes a ball may go into the Penalty Area and sometimes, your ball may be in the general area but the immovable object (old wire fence) impedes your next shot. Because of the closeness of the cart path, the point of relief from the fence is on the path, and the nearest point of relief from that position on the path is close to the fence. 

Following the rules of golf one should zigzag away from the hole until you find a spot where relief from neither is needed. Some players would attempt to do that, and others just went across the path and dropped there - “I’ve done it that way for 30 years”. To make sure we all use the same decision and to speed the pace of play in those circumstances, we created the drop area.

The drop area on Hole 8 is used to improve the pace of play by only requiring that you have already hit your second (or higher) shot into the Environmentally Sensitive Area. Once that has happened you can hit your next shot from the other side of the (ESA). 

We have defined additional Penalty Areas to include areas of extensive rough or trees where the branches hang almost to the ground. The intent is that you do not need to find your ball before playing the next shot. Take a (penalty) drop within two club lengths of where you believe the ball entered the area. You can then look for your ball if you wish while the others in your tee-

group take their next shots. 

Not Finishing a Hole or a Round (#1; #11)

In Stroke Play, you must play and count every shot on every hole unless a variant is described by Local Rules. We play a “Maximum per hole” variant of 10, so this means that if you have had enough of one hole, you may ‘pick up’ and not finish the hole. The maximum score per hole that is accepted in our scoring system is 10.

Similarly a round cannot normally be counted unless players finish the round. However we all know that during summer, afternoon storms can come across the course and one must not play if lightning is seen or thunder heard. Sometimes, the storm will pass quickly and groups can go out and finish, but if they are not able to, provided that 14 holes were played, our scoring system will calculate a score for the unfinished holes and their score can therefore be counted. 

Lost Ball (#12)

Although many golfers may not realise it, unless a Local Rule is introduced there is only one option when a ball is lost (or has gone Out of Bounds). Count one penalty and then go back to the point of your last shot and play the next. This is time consuming especially as you will have taken 3 minutes to confirm your ball is lost.

Instead a Local Rule template is recommended (and Gaffers has adopted it) that allows you (as your choice) to go out to the nearest point of fairway (or fairway level grass), take two penalties, and continue from there. The two penalties reflect the one needed because the ball is lost and the second because you did not have to go back to the point of the last shot. You would rarely be worse off using this option. 

When a putt hits a ball on the green (#17)

Not well-known is the fact that if a putt hits another ball already at rest on the green, the putter is assessed a two stroke penalty. Normally other balls would be 'marked and lifted', but sometimes rather than waiting, and in order to maintain the pace of play, someone may putt, the ball might hit the pin and career off into another ball. By deeming that a ball on the green is never at rest (unless it is being marked or addressed for putting), we avoid the penalty. The putt must be replayed.