Care with local rules.

[palindromicbob]

What possible local rules do people think we should take care with and clarify before commencing a round at an away course. Almost like a little check list.

Two for me are.

Embedded ball in the rough.
Status of paths (integral or immovable obstructions)

The reason for this is I was playing on Friday in a society and on the second hole I noticed a fellow competitor cleaning and dropping his ball in the rough. I pulled him on it saying he couldn't do that. He had got into a habit of taking relief from an embedded ball in the rough because there is an LR at his home course that allows it and it had become habit. There was no local rule on the score card or that I'd seen displayed anywhere.

Informed him the only option should have been as it lies or take an unplayable and I felt his penalty should be 2 strokes because he hadn't replaced the ball.

Anyway we got down the 4th and passed the starter hut where he enquired with the starter who said it was fine but hadn't informed us prior to the round when he was telling us that it was play as it lies .

This still left a sour taste with me because I had pulled him on it and because there had been no indication the rule was in place I would have either played the ball or taken and unplayable if I had been in the same situation. At the end of the round I couldn't find any rules displayed that offered relief for an embedded ball in the rough.

To me this is an example of needing to take care to clarify local rules when playing away courses.

 

[duncan mackie]

What possible local rules do people think we should take care with and clarify before commencing a round

all of them, every one.

the question "do you have any local rules other than those printed on the card?" is the one I ask every time I play at an away course before teeing off. In a competition I will ask the organiser, in a match I will ask my opponents.

 

[palindromicbob]

all of them, every one.

the question "do you have any local rules other than those printed on the card?" is the one I ask every time I play at an away course before teeing off. In a competition I will ask the organiser, in a match I will ask my opponents.

Any common ones you've seen people slip up on?

 

[duncan mackie]

Any common ones you've seen people slip up on?

obstructions declared integral

moveable obstructions declared immovable (classically benches)

any LR in conflict with the rules - but the rules state you have to obey the LR so you can be caught out doing the correct thing on that occasion; Princes in Kent have one regarding play/relief from the fringes of a Wrong Green.

many clubs have a confused (polite term) wording in relation to relief from sprinkler heads around the green (usually in terms of the existence of interference)

drainage ditches can be declared just about anything and some courses change that definition depending on where they are....the more of them there are the less likely they are to be visually marked at all! Example that springs to mind would be Ashdown Forest West where the wording goes something like 'drainage ditches in front of hedges on the edge of the course are OOB'........I would contend that every drainage ditch on the course side of the boundary is therefore OOB by that rule!

white plastic chain, and other chains between white posts, in areas around the clubhouse are notorious for confusion both when added without intention re OOB and when convoluted wordings are used to retain some previous status quo when they get added.

loose definitions such as 'practice ground' which seemed fine when it used to be kept closely mown but fail in translation when cut to the same height as the surrounding grass

the list really is endless, hence my earlier comment.

 

[clubchamp98]

Any common ones you've seen people slip up on?

Staked trees free drop at some. NOT at others

 

[chrisd]

the question "do you have any local rules other than those printed on the card?" is the one I ask every time I play at an away course before teeing off. In a competition I will ask the organiser, in a match I will ask my opponents.

How often Duncan is the reply "I haven't a clue"?

 

[duncan mackie]

How often Duncan is the reply "I haven't a clue"?

rarely - then tend to just make up an answer if they don't know! :rofl:

 

[CliveW]

What do we have to moan about nowadays.

 

[atticusfinch]

Rule 7 should be read to the sissies who want a do over when a passing car or goose honking cause them to start and mishit.