Fairway mats and WHS

[DickInShorts]

In Scotland many clubs require the use of mats for shots from the fairway in winter.

If these are required to be used on a measured course do rounds qualify for WHS?

 

[IanM]

Same question about prefered lies and bunkers being GUR due to bad weather

 

[Bratty]

Am I missing something obvious? If it used to be a qualifying round under the old system, why would it be different under the new one?

 

[Jules]

England Golf state the following:
Mats (tees and fairway mats)
Acceptable Scores may be returned in Competitions and in General Play when there is a Local Rule in place requiring the compulsory use of fairway mats to protect the natural surfaces of the course, during the preferred lies period.
Suggested wording for local rule - ‘When a player’s ball lies in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less and a putter is not being used for the stroke, the ball must be lifted, placed on and played from an Astroturf, or similar type, of mat. The mat must be placed as near as possible to where the ball originally lay, and the ball must be placed on the mat. The ball may be cleaned when lifted.’
Bunkers
Providing a Local Rule is in place, bunkers may be taken out of play and marked as GUR for situations such as severe or prolonged wet weather. Bunkers flooded with water, can be marked as GUR; allowing scores to still be acceptable and returned for handicap purposes. Players must be made aware of which bunkers are GUR before play. There is no limit on the number of bunkers that can be taken ‘out of play’.
Temporary Greens
For scores to be acceptable, no more than 2 temporary greens are allowed to be used. For a 9-hole course, only one temporary green will be allowed. Whilst temporary or alternative greens are acceptable for handicapping purposes, whenever the length of the course length has been increased or decreased by more than 100 yards for an 18-hole round or 50 yards for a 9-hole round, the adjustments to the Course Rating and Slope Rating set out in Appendix G of the Rules of Handicapping must be applied.

 

[jim8flog]

In Scotland many clubs require the use of mats for shots from the fairway in winter.

If these are required to be used on a measured course do rounds qualify for WHS?

The reference for this is Guidance on the Rules of handicapping Rule GH/2.

Worth reading it as it contains a lot more info than Jules post.

 

[jim8flog]

Same question about prefered lies and bunkers being GUR due to bad weather

Bunkers

One important point that may not be obvious in Jules post is that a club may not simply say "all bunkers are GUR" each bunker must be identified as such.

 

[IanM]

Bunkers

One important point that may not be obvious in Jules post is that a club may not simply say "all bunkers are GUR" each bunker must be identified as such.

Ours does say all are GUR. Seems clear enough.. interested to know why they shouldnt

 

[jim8flog]

Ours does say all are GUR. Seems clear enough.. interested to know why they shouldnt

Have they been left this way with the introduction of 'Covid rules' which have now been revoked?

I know this to have been the rule Pre WHS

I believe it to be more of a Rules of Golf Guideline than Congu

Committee procedures

• A Committee can define the edge of ground under repair by describing it, but only if there will be little or no doubt over what constitutes the area or its edges.
  
  • An example where describing the damage is possible and the Committee is justified declaring any areas as ground under repair without marking them is where there has been significant damage from animal hoof marks (see Model Local Rule F-10).
  • At other times it is not appropriate to make a general declaration................

 

[mikejohnchapman]

Ours does say all are GUR. Seems clear enough.. interested to know why they shouldnt

I thought the "no more than 50%" rule was now back in play post-COVID conditions.

 

[IanM]

Well... now we are into Autumn and playing normally.... I'll have to see what is said after bad weather!

 

[rulefan]

I thought the "no more than 50%" rule was now back in play post-COVID conditions.

I believe the 50% rule has been abandoned. It only applied in England anyway.

 

[KenL]

In Scotland many clubs require the use of mats for shots from the fairway in winter.

If these are required to be used on a measured course do rounds qualify for WHS?

Yes, at least we were allowed to put in general play scores for handicap last winter when using a mat on the fairway.

 

[rulefan]

This is still on the CONGU website

GH/2 course Local Rule Requiring Compulsory Use Of Fairway Mats

Acceptable Scores may be returned in Competitions and in General Play when there is a Local Rule requiring the compulsory use of fairway mats provided:
their use is restricted to the preferred lie period (period as directed by the National Association);
all other requirements for an Acceptable Score (Rule 2.1) have been satisfied;
a Local Rule for the use of fairway mats has been set out in the Terms of Competition;
the mat is not to be used for strokes made with a putter

The suggested wording is:
“When a player’s ball lies in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less and a putter is not being used for the stroke, the ball must be lifted, placed on and played from an Astroturf, or similar type of, mat. The mat must be placed as near as possible to where the ball originally lay, and the ball must be placed on the mat. The ball may be cleaned when lifted. If a ball when placed rolls off the mat, the player must try to place it a second time. If the ball again does not stay on the mat, the mat must be moved to the nearest spot, not nearer the hole, where the ball will come to rest on the mat when placed. If the player accidentally causes the ball on the mat to move before a stroke is made, there is no penalty and the ball must be placed again on the mat. If a tee is used to secure the mat into the ground, the ball must not be placed on the tee

 

[DickInShorts]

Thanks all for your replies

 

[Banchory Buddha]

Thanks all for your replies

Interesting Dick that Newburgh have just posted a Winter Open on their FB page with the wording: "As mats are in play from the fairway and semi rough this event will be non-counting for handicapping purposes! "

 

[yandabrown]

Interesting Dick that Newburgh have just posted a Winter Open on their FB page with the wording: "As mats are in play from the fairway and semi rough this event will be non-counting for handicapping purposes! "

Is the "semi rough" part making the difference?

 

[Banchory Buddha]

Is the "semi rough" part making the difference?

I did wonder, and that could be it

 

[rulie]

Is the "non-counting for handicap purposes" a serious deterrent to participating? It sounds like the club is just trying to extend protection to the first cut off the fairway.

 

[Colin L]

Is the "semi rough" part making the difference?

Yes. For a qualifying round, mats may be used only on parts of the general area mown to fairway height.

 

[CliveW]

In Scotland many clubs require the use of mats for shots from the fairway in winter.

If these are required to be used on a measured course do rounds qualify for WHS?

Unfortunately at our course, when we start playing off mats we also use winter tees and sometimes winter greens thus rendering the Measured Course requirement unoperable. We do however use a Winter Masterscoreboard and a Winter League which gives us a winter handicap for home competitions only.