Local Rules and Course Information

Out of bounds Rule 18.2
A ball is out of bounds if it lies:

1. Over any boundary fence of the course.
2. The Clubhouse, patio area, surrounding flower beds, and greenkeepers compounds.
3. Beyond the course-side edge of the white line to the right of the 2nd along the reservoir and the line between course-side points of the stakes at ground level behind the 14th and 15th holes.
4. Beyond the nearside kerbstone of the road to the right of the 18th hole.

Penalty Areas Rule 17.1

1. All penalty areas on the course are designated red penalty areas. These are marked by red lines and/or red stakes.
2. As an extra option for the red penalty area behind the green on the 14th hole, the player may drop the original ball or another ball in the nearest drop zone. The drop zone, which may be nearer the hole, is defined as being within one club length from the drop zone sign and is a relief area under Rule 14.3. The position for the drop zone sign is marked and if moved, should be replaced in the same position.

Abnormal Course conditions Rule 16.1

1. Ground under Repair (GUR) is defined by white lines and/or signs and relief may be taken in accordance with Rule 16.1b.
2. GUR includes areas of unusual damage including clearly defined tyre ruts, or where traffic has combined with wet conditions to alter the ground surface materially, and relief may be taken under Rule 16.1b. For avoidance of doubt, light tyre indentations from trolleys or similar are not covered under this Local Rule.
3. Some GUR is marked as a No Play Zone and relief MUST be taken in accordance with Rule16.1b. As an extra option, the player may take free relief from GUR marked as No Play Zones on holes 3, 6, 10 and 18, by dropping the original ball or another ball in the nearest drop zone adjacent to the GUR that the relief is being taken from. The drop zone is defined as being within one club length from the drop zone sign and is a relief area under Rule 14.3. The position for the drop zone sign is marked and if moved, should be replaced in the same position.
4. Planted trees, which are staked, are no play zones. If a player’s ball lies anywhere on the course other than in a penalty area and it lies on or touches such a tree or such a tree
interferes with the player’s area of intended stance or area of intended swing, the player MUST take relief under Rule 16.1f.
5. If a player’s ball lies in or touches a seam within an area of planted heather or a seam
interferes with the player’s area of intended swing, the player may take relief under Rule 16.1f. Interference does not exist if the seam only interferes with the player’s stance. All seams within the area of planted heather are treated as the same seam in taking relief. This means that if a player has interference from any seam after dropping the ball, the player must proceed as required under Rule 14.3c(2) even when the ball is still within one club length of the reference point.
6. If a player’s ball lies in or touches a seam within an area of laid turf or a seam interferes with the player’s area of intended swing, the player may take relief under Rule 16.1b.
Interference does not exist if the seam only interferes with the player’s stance. All seams within the area of laid turf are treated as the same seam in taking relief. This means that if a player has interference from any seam after dropping the ball, the player must proceed as required under Rule 14.3c(2) even when the ball is still within one club length of the reference point.
7. If a player’s ball lies in or touches an aeration hole on the putting green, the player may take relief under Rule 16.1d. But interference does not exist if the aeration hole only interferes with the player’s stance, area of intended swing or the player’s line of play.
8. As a result of goose droppings being prevalent on the course at certain times of the year, at the player’s option, droppings from geese may be treated either as:
a) Loose impediment that may be removed under Rule 15.1 or
b) Ground under repair from which free relief is allowed under Rule 16.1 (by cleaning and
dropping the original ball or another ball in the relief area).

Immovable Obstructions Rule 16

1. All artificially surfaced paths and artificially surfaced tracks are immovable obstructions.
2. The Halfway Hut, the gardens surrounding it and the pathway directly adjacent to the Hut and gardens are considered to be one obstruction.
3. All sprinkler heads, irrigation control covers, fixed drains, and manhole covers in the general area are immovable obstructions.
4. The irrigation control shed and its surrounding hedge on the 2nd hole and the pumping station on the 18th hole are immovable obstructions.
5. Immovable obstructions close to or on the putting green - when a ball lies in the general area, interference exists if an immovable obstruction is on the player’s line of play and is within two club-lengths of the putting green and within two club lengths of the ball. The player may take relief under Rule 16.1b.
(Exception - There is no relief under 5) of this Local Rule if the player chooses a line of play that is clearly unreasonable).

Wrong Green Rule 13.1f

1. The practice putting green behind the 18th green and the green on the right-hand side of the 3rd fairway, short of the pond, are Wrong Greens and relief MUST be taken. As an extra option on the 3rd hole, the player may take free relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in the drop zone adjacent to the green. The drop zone is defined as being within one club length from the drop zone sign and is a relief area under Rule 14.3. The position for the drop zone sign is marked and if moved, should be replaced in the same position.

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF LOCAL RULES
GENERAL PENALTY: Matchplay = Loss of hole, Strokeplay = Two stroke

Additional Temporary Local Rule
(In play if notified as such on main Course information board adjacent to the 1st Tee)
Immovable Obstructions (Rule 16)


Preferred Lies 
When any part of a player's ball touches part of the general area cut to fairway height or less, the player may take free relief once by placing the original ball or another ball in and playing it from this relief area:

• Reference Point: Spot of the original ball.
• Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: 6 inches from the reference point, but with these limits:
• Limits on Location of Relief Area:
  o Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and
  o Must be in the general area.

In proceeding under this Local Rule, the player must choose a spot to place the ball and use the procedures for replacing a ball under Rules 14.2b(2) and 14.2e. But, for the purposes of applying Rule 14.2e, the player has only chosen the spot on which to place the ball once the ball has been set down, and the player has let the ball go with the intent for that ball to be in play.

After a ball has been placed and is in play under this Local Rule, if the player then proceeds under another Rule that provides relief, this Local Rule may be used again.

• Distance markers on the sides of the fairways and distances on sprinkler heads are in yards to the centre of the green.
• The colour of the flag indicates the position on the green.
  Red = Front, Yellow = Centre and White = Back.
• White stakes with black rings located in heather areas are indicators to assist with the finding of golf balls.
• Blue stakes are only used by the greenkeeping staff to indicate positions of irrigation and drainage covers.
• Please do not take buggies or trolleys onto greens or green surrounds, on to tee complexes or into heather areas. Always use paths where possible.
• Players playing the 6th hole should not tee off until the group in front has rung the bell located on the right-hand side of the fairway.
• On finishing the 10th hole, players should take buggies and trolleys around the path to the left-hand side of the 11th tee so as not to impede players playing the 10th
• Players playing the 15th hole must not tee off until the group in front have all teed off from the 16th tees and are walking forward.
• Mobile phones must at all times be in silent mode on the course and may be used for
  emergency calls only.
• Green staff have priority on the course. The ball must not be played towards a member of green staff in range. Green staff will give way when practicable: please wait until the way is clear or you have been called through.