Is this practicing on the course?

Banchory Buddha

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 10, 2021
Messages
2,020
Visit site
Player using small practice area, at most a medium iron can be hit longways and it's only 30 yards wide

Situation 1: If someone decides they want to practice driver (or long clubs) are they 'practicing on the course' if they hit from the practice area onto an adjacent fairway?

Situation 2: By hitting perpendicular they can cross another adjacent fairway and hit balls into a loch

Are either/neither/both permitted?
 

rulefan

Tour Winner
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Messages
14,562
Visit site
Player using small practice area, at most a medium iron can be hit longways and it's only 30 yards wide

Situation 1: If someone decides they want to practice driver (or long clubs) are they 'practicing on the course' if they hit from the practice area onto an adjacent fairway?

Situation 2: By hitting perpendicular they can cross another adjacent fairway and hit balls into a loch

Are either/neither/both permitted?
Is the ball being hit from an area which is on the course?
 

clubchamp98

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Messages
16,144
Location
Liverpool
Visit site
West Derby golf club by me had this set up years ago.
With no room for a practice ground.
It was deemed ok under the rules as the actual teeing ground was not part of the course only the landing area.
My course now has a practice area over the tenth fairway.
So it’s in two parts. Teeing area and large landing area.
Can’t play over the fairway on comp days but any other day is fine.
Golfers have right of way at all times.
 

doublebogey7

Head Pro
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
1,842
Location
Leicester
Visit site
From Rule 5.2 "Practising on the course” means playing a ball, or testing the surface of the putting green of any hole by rolling a ball or rubbing the surface." What you describe does not appear to meet this definition of practise so yes both are permitted. I would suggest if that was not the case and awful lot of clubs would need to install bigger nets around their practise facilities, includimg ours, as many a range ball accidently gets hit onto the course.
 

Banchory Buddha

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 10, 2021
Messages
2,020
Visit site
From Rule 5.2 "Practising on the course” means playing a ball, or testing the surface of the putting green of any hole by rolling a ball or rubbing the surface." What you describe does not appear to meet this definition of practise so yes both are permitted. I would suggest if that was not the case and awful lot of clubs would need to install bigger nets around their practise facilities, includimg ours, as many a range ball accidently gets hit onto the course.
As above, this is being done deliberately, not accidentally. Howevrr it does seem there's no rule against it, which I'm quite surprised at, but there ye go.
 

salfordlad

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 16, 2020
Messages
890
Visit site
From Rule 5.2 "Practising on the course” means playing a ball, or testing the surface of the putting green of any hole by rolling a ball or rubbing the surface." What you describe does not appear to meet this definition of practise so yes both are permitted. I would suggest if that was not the case and awful lot of clubs would need to install bigger nets around their practise facilities, includimg ours, as many a range ball accidently gets hit onto the course.
Agree. For completeness, note also this rule only applies before a round or between rounds (on the same day). That is, if the player was not playing the course subsequently, it would make no difference if the area being hit from was on or off the course.
 

Banchory Buddha

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 10, 2021
Messages
2,020
Visit site
Sounds like you need a club rule to say no bombing practice balls onto the course
Now under consideration. Genuinely thought that this came under practice on the course, all repsponses here and on a facebook rules page are saying otherwise, so this option already been spoken about today.

You've no idea the number of rules we've had to introduce to combat one person who always wants to just be a little bit different to other members
 

KenL

Tour Rookie
Joined
Dec 3, 2014
Messages
6,611
Location
East Lothian
Visit site
Player using small practice area, at most a medium iron can be hit longways and it's only 30 yards wide

Situation 1: If someone decides they want to practice driver (or long clubs) are they 'practicing on the course' if they hit from the practice area onto an adjacent fairway?

Situation 2: By hitting perpendicular they can cross another adjacent fairway and hit balls into a loch

Are either/neither/both permitted?

Tell whoever it not to hit balls into a lake!

For me, neither is against a rule.
Was this prior to a strokeplay comp?
 

clubchamp98

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Messages
16,144
Location
Liverpool
Visit site
Now under consideration. Genuinely thought that this came under practice on the course, all repsponses here and on a facebook rules page are saying otherwise, so this option already been spoken about today.

You've no idea the number of rules we've had to introduce to combat one person who always wants to just be a little bit different to other members
We are told no hitting balls outside the practice area.
Accidental yes delibaretly no no.
I would have thought this would only be allowed by the comittiee agreement.
I am sure a health and safety meeting could stop it if they wanted to.
But that’s stopping other members using it.
 

doublebogey7

Head Pro
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
1,842
Location
Leicester
Visit site
Now under consideration. Genuinely thought that this came under practice on the course, all repsponses here and on a facebook rules page are saying otherwise, so this option already been spoken about today.

You've no idea the number of rules we've had to introduce to combat one person who always wants to just be a little bit different to other members
I find it puzzling that you would rather deal with this as a rule of golf infringment than a disciplinary issue given the H&S implications and the fact it would only ever be effective on a competition day.
 

Banchory Buddha

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 10, 2021
Messages
2,020
Visit site
I would have thought this would only be allowed by the comittiee agreement.
As per my comments above, we have a member who seems to take delight in pushing the envelope and making us come up with decisions on things that have never previously needed to be discussed, because common sense dictates that it should never be needed. This guy is special. We had to rule that he couldn't take his dog on during medals for eg, again, why would you need such a rule, it's surely obvious, but no, he kicked up a great fuss and we had to make a specific term of competition, which in our 100th year had never needed saying before.
 

rulefan

Tour Winner
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Messages
14,562
Visit site
Player using small practice area, at most a medium iron can be hit longways and it's only 30 yards wide

Situation 1: If someone decides they want to practice driver (or long clubs) are they 'practicing on the course' if they hit from the practice area onto an adjacent fairway?

Situation 2: By hitting perpendicular they can cross another adjacent fairway and hit balls into a loch

Are either/neither/both permitted?
As a stroke is not being made from on the course it is not practicing on the course.
 

Neilds

Assistant Pro
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
3,631
Location
Wiltshire
Visit site
As per my comments above, we have a member who seems to take delight in pushing the envelope and making us come up with decisions on things that have never previously needed to be discussed, because common sense dictates that it should never be needed. This guy is special. We had to rule that he couldn't take his dog on during medals for eg, again, why would you need such a rule, it's surely obvious, but no, he kicked up a great fuss and we had to make a specific term of competition, which in our 100th year had never needed saying before.
You can't legislate for stupid/bloody mindedness/etc :)
 

Slab

Occasional Tour Caddy
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Messages
10,868
Location
Port Louis
Visit site
As per my comments above, we have a member who seems to take delight in pushing the envelope and making us come up with decisions on things that have never previously needed to be discussed, because common sense dictates that it should never be needed. This guy is special. We had to rule that he couldn't take his dog on during medals for eg, again, why would you need such a rule, it's surely obvious, but no, he kicked up a great fuss and we had to make a specific term of competition, which in our 100th year had never needed saying before.

Any idea why it had never been said before?
Is it because in 100 years there was not one single instance of a player ever taking a dog round in a comp... or for 100 years no one had ever complained about a player taking a dog round in a comp?
:sneaky:
 

Banchory Buddha

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 10, 2021
Messages
2,020
Visit site
Any idea why it had never been said before?
Is it because in 100 years there was not one single instance of a player ever taking a dog round in a comp... or for 100 years no one had ever complained about a player taking a dog round in a comp?
:sneaky:
The former obviously, as I said, he makes a career out of finding things that have never cropped up, and causing the committee to continually rule on said things.
 
Top