Forced Use Of Tees On The Fairway

[tobybarker]

For a round to be a qualifier for HCP, can a club enforce the use of tees within certain areas (ie recently renovated, seeded etc)? Not on the teeing area, but on the fairway I mean. Thanks

 

[rulefan]

England Golf have stated "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".
I see no practical difference as to why this could not be extended to tees but I would check with EG.

Edit: Unless someone has already done that.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

How could tees be allowed to be used on the fairways and still be a qualifier?
Perhaps with fairway mats, but with tees?

 

[rulefan]

How could tees be allowed to be used on the fairways and still be a qualifier?

If there was a permitted Local Rule, as there is for mats.
However, mats are, I believe, currently manufactured to a standard that says there must not be a feature that allows a ball to be 'teed up'

 

[woofers]

England Golf have stated "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".
I see no practical difference as to why this could not be extended to tees but I would check with EG.

Edit: Unless someone has already done that.

We had something similar, tee up on x fairway (to protect the course from lots of divot holes), just the one hole. I asked EG if acceptable scores would be allowed, using the fairway mats as an analogy.
Their answer was NO, not acceptable for handicapping.
edited for reply from EG:
Can I politely refer you to your club handicap committee who will be aware and also confirm that current rules DO NOT allow for scores to be returned for handicap purposes, when 'teeing up on the fairway' is used.

A bit irritating when I am a member of the club handicap committee and we asked EG because weren’t sure.

 

[wjemather]

For a round to be a qualifier for HCP, can a club enforce the use of tees within certain areas (ie recently renovated, seeded etc)? Not on the teeing area, but on the fairway I mean. Thanks

For scores to be acceptable for handicapping, such a local rule would not be allowed.
Such areas can be protected by the use of fairway mats or marking as GUR and designating it as a no play zone. Either would be acceptable for handicapping.

 

[wjemather]

We had something similar, tee up on x fairway (to protect the course from lots of divot holes), just the one hole. I asked EG if acceptable scores would be allowed, using the fairway mats as an analogy.
Their answer was NO, not acceptable for handicapping.
edited for reply from EG:
Can I politely refer you to your club handicap committee who will be aware and also confirm that current rules DO NOT allow for scores to be returned for handicap purposes, when 'teeing up on the fairway' is used.

A bit irritating when I am a member of the club handicap committee and we asked EG because weren’t sure.

At the risk of irritating you further... as a club, you should have escalated to your county, who would escalate to regional if necessary; regional would then escalate to EG; an EG would escalate to The R&A.

 

[tobybarker]

It is a north wales club in my case

 

[jim8flog]

As an aside I never know why clubs do this anyway (assuming it is an iron shot). It is not going to stop players from taking divots.

When I first joined this club (nearly 40 years ago) it was rule on par 3 holes. It made no difference to me as to whether or a a divot was taken.

 

[Swango1980]

England Golf have stated "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".
I see no practical difference as to why this could not be extended to tees but I would check with EG.

Edit: Unless someone has already done that.

How to you make these two things comparable?

A fairway mat, you are still "hitting it off the deck". With a tee, you can just plonk down your pink castle tee everywhere and hit driver if you want.