LOCAL RULES
The Lakes Course
Out of Bounds (Rule 18.2)
Beyond all areas marked by white stakes or lines.
Abnormal Course Conditions (Including Immovable Obstructions) (Rule 16)
- A ball lying on any artificial road, path or bridge (outside a penalty area) may be lifted and dropped without penalty (Rule 16.1a(2)).
- All benches are immovable obstructions.
- A ball lying in an animal hoof print within a bunker, player can take free relief in the bunker as per Rule 16.1c
- All sprinkler heads are immovable obstructions and relief may be obtained under Rule 16.1.
Aeration Holes
Aeration holes on greens, seams of cut turf or cracks on fairways, the player may take relief under Rule 16.1.
Staked Trees and Young Trees
Young trees identified by stakes or a tree less than 6 feet in height are no play zones. If a player’s ball lies anywhere on the course, excluding penalty areas, and such a tree interferes with their stance or intended swing, the player MUST take relief under Rule 16.1f (drop without penalty, nearest point of relief).
B-3 Provisional Ball for Ball in a Penalty Area
https://www.randa.org/rog/committee-procedures/8#8b_b-3
Purpose. Under Rule 18.3, a player is not allowed to play a ball provisionally if it is known or virtually certain that their ball is in a penalty area.
But in unusual cases, the size, shape or location of a penalty area may be such that:
- The player cannot see whether the ball is in the penalty area,
- It would unreasonably delay play if the player had to go forward to look for the ball before returning to play another ball either under penalty of stroke and distance or another option under Rule 17 , and
- If the original ball is not found, it would be known or virtually certain that the ball is in the penalty area.
For such situations, to save time a Committee may choose to modify Rule 18.3 :
Rule 18.3a is modified to allow the player to play a ball provisionally under Rule 17.1d (1), Rule 17.1d
(2) or, for a red penalty area, Rule 17.1d (3).
Rules 18.3b and 18.3c are modified to state when such a provisional ball must or may be played or abandoned, as stated in the Model Local Rule.
Model Local Rule B-3
“If a player does not know whether their ball is in the penalty area [lakes] on holes 6, 10, 12 & 18 , the player may play a provisional ball under
Rule 18.3, which is modified in this way:
In playing the provisional ball, the player may use the stroke-and-distance relief option (see Rule 17.1d (1)), the back-on-the-line relief option (see Rule 17.1d (2)) or, if it is a red penalty area, the lateral relief option (see Rule 17.1d(3)). If a dropping zone is available for this penalty area (see Model Local Rule E-1), the player may also use that relief option.
Once the player has played a provisional ball under this Local Rule, they may not use any further options under Rule 17.1 in relation to the original ball.
In deciding when that provisional ball becomes the player’s ball in play or if it must or may be abandoned, Rule 18.3c(2) and 18.3c(3) apply except that:
When Original Ball Is Found in Penalty Area Within Three-Minute Search Time. The player may choose either to:
- Continue to play the original ball as it lies in the penalty area, in which case the provisional ball must not be played. All strokes with that provisional ball before it was abandoned (including strokes made and any penalty strokes solely from playing that ball) do not count, or
- Continue to play the provisional ball in which case the original ball must not be played.
- When Original Ball Is Not Found Within Three-Minute Search Time or Is Known or Virtually Certain to Be in Penalty Area. The provisional ball becomes the player’s ball in play.
Notes:
Pace of play – please keep up with group in front and do not hold up the group behind. Ready golf is strongly encouraged.
Please repair all divots/pitch marks and bunkers.
Trolleys are not allowed between bunkers and greens.