Introduction:
Many rules have no penalty assigned. These are good sportsmanship rules and each player is on their honor to abide by them.
When you violate a rule that has a penalty assigned, call it on yourself. Don’t force your opponent to call your infractions. This is usually more distasteful for your opponent than it is for you.
U.S.G.A. rules are in effect except as modified by the host course rules on the scorecard and those listed below. Please observe that modifications made to U.S.G.A. rules have been adapted to speed play.
Please cooperate by:
- Minimizing your practice swings.
- Go to your ball and be prepared to hit your next shot when it’s your turn.
- Line your putts up while another player putts.
- Leave clubs and carts between the green and the next tee. Not in front of the green.
- Move off the green quickly.
- Avoid discussing previous/current shots when you should be making them.
- Practice proper golf etiquette and common courtesy. This will go a long way to speeding play and enhancing the enjoyment for everyone.
Additional Playing Rules:
- Play from the BLUE markers on all tees.
- Play the ball DOWN everywhere except in the fairway. In the fairway you may move the ball not more than two club lengths with the club head only and no closer to the hole. Improvement of lie MUST NOT be used to provide relief from an obstacle, such as a tree, in the intended line of your golf shot. Do not ground your club in any designated hazard. (1 stroke penalty, see playing Rule #5)
- Mulligans or other modification of the rules by team and opponents will not be allowed.
- Playing in the wrong fairway – a player in the wrong fairway disregards the rule that “the player farthest from the hole hits first” and plays their shot in the most expedient manner.
- OUT OF BOUNDS penalty will be one stroke plus the errant shot (Count as 2 strokes). There will be NO DISTANCE PENALTY. Do NOT hit a provisional ball. Therefore, drop a ball in the vicinity of where the ball went out of bounds, or back along the line of flight. Anytime a ball is dropped, drop it with arm extended out while standing erect and facing the hole, then follow playing Rule #2. You can do this.
- One stroke penalty will be assessed for a LOST BALL. Drop another ball in the vicinity of where the original ball was lost or backwards along the line of flight. Note: No distance penalty. DO NOT HIT A PROVISIONAL BALL. ****A MAXIMUM OF FIVE (5) MINUTES PER FOURSOME PER ROUND will be allowed to look for lost balls. Assist each member of your group by watching each player’s ball as it is hit all the way until it stops, and also by helping them look for a ball. Drop ball using method outlined in Rule #5.
- Washout, ditches or ruts created by erosion, NOT CONTAINING WATER, are not intended hazards. A free drop will be allowed from such areas. Drop ball using method outlined in Rule #5.
- For a tee shot to qualify as the longest drive, it must come to rest within the shorter grass area constituting the fairway. Tee shots that come to rest in the longer grass fringe areas and the actual rough itself will not be eligible for the prize.
- For a tee shot to qualify as the closest-to-the-pin, it must come to rest on the putting surface. Tee shots that come to rest on the fringe or off the gree, will not be eligible for the prize. In the event that no golfer hits a qualifying shot on the originally assigned hole, prize money will be pushed to the other closest-to-the-pin hole.
