Willows Men's Club - Full Local Rules for Competitions

 

 

The following rules and definitions have been adopted by the Willows Men’s Club to address common course conditions. The intent is to have playing ability determine the outcome rather than course conditions. 

 

(Click here for a brief Summary of the Local Rules.)

 

New USGA Rule for 2019: Rule 16.3 – Allows for Free relief for any embedded ball in the General Area (e.g. either Fairway or Rough) (unless unplayable). 1-club length drop from knee height.  No local rules required.

 

1. Course Condition Relief Rules

 

WMC Local Rule #1: Soggy/Squishy is defined as Abnormal Course Conditions (Temporary Water)

 

There may be very soggy or squishy areas throughout the green (both fairway and rough) where you cannot take a firm stance.  These areas may be considered Abnormal Conditions (Temporary Water) even if there is not water visible on the surface. You may proceed under rule 16.1b, e.g. you may take relief within 1 club length of the nearest relief spot, no closer to the hole.  You must drop ball from knee height.

 

WMC Local Rule #2: Bare Dirt in Fairway is defined as Abnormal Course Conditions (Ground under Repair), excluding divots

 

At times the FAIRWAY may have patches of bare dirt due to weather (dried out) or other maintenance issues. These conditions may be considered Abnormal Conditions (Ground Under Repair) and you may proceed under rule 16.1b (see above). Note this definition of abnormal ground does not apply to: 1) brown or dead grass; 2) bare dirt outside the fairway or 3) to divots in the fairway.  Normal fairway conditions are expected to be a grass surface or divot.  Use good judgement and be fair, this is not meant to be a free pass. 

 

WMC Local Rule #3: Bunker filled with Water

 

If bunker is so filled with water that there is no viable relief area in the bunker not nearer the hole, you may treat the bunker as Abnormal Condition (Temporary Water).  You may proceed under rule 16.1c (see above), dropping on the line behind the bunker with no penalty.

 

WMC Local Rule #4: Bunker Not Raked or Maintained

 

If the bunker has not been recently maintained in the area your ball comes to rest and it is on hard packed sand, or in a large disturbed area, you will have the option to lift, rake (or smooth with foot if no rake is present), and place the ball. The ball must be placed as close to where it originally came to rest as possible.  The raking or smoothing must not create any mounding or attempt to move sand to create a deeper sand layer; it should only loosen and smooth the existing sand around the ball location.  You may also remove lose impediments, including small rocks, with no penalty as allowed by rule 15.1.  This is to ensure a fairer sand bunker shot. 

 

You also have the option (new in 2019) to play outside the bunker with a two-stroke penalty under new rule 19.3.b.

 

Rule 4(a) Eagles Talon 2020 bunkers:  (Updated 17-August 2020) The new bunkers on Eagles Talon are now in full play.  Bunker walls are in the "General Area" not "in the bunker" so play it as it lies or use standard Unplayable Relief if need be (1) hit from original location, 2) as far back on the line as y ou want or 3) two club lengths, all with 1 stroke penalty). No more Ground Under Repair exceptions.

 

Rule 4(b) Former Eagles Talon bunkers not yet restored: A few bunkers on Eagles Talon are being deprecated but have not yet been restored to turf grass.  They are currently waste areas.  A ball coming to rest in those former bunkers should be treated as Ground Under Repair. Examples are the right bunker on hole #4, and the area in front of the left fairway bunker on hole #11. 

 

 

2. Local Rules from the 2019 Rules of Golf

 

WMC Local Rule #5: Alternative to Stroke and Distance for Lost Ball; 2 stroke penalty

 

(From USGA Model Local Rule 8 E-5 - https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/committee-procedures/rule-8.html)

 

In most cases a ball will be known to be lost in a penalty area and the penalty area relief will apply. There is no Out of Bounds at Willows, so this rule applies primarily when a ball is lost, but not known or virtually certain to be in a penalty area.

 

WMC has adopted a simplified version of this rule covering the most likely used drop area (in the fairway) as defined in the USGA rule (area B in the diagram at the USGA model rule site). Players may also use the full relief area defined in the USGA model rule 8 E-5.

 

When a player’s ball has not been found (lost ball), and is not "known or virtually certain to be in a penalty area," the player may:

1. Proceed under stroke and distance, e.g. hit from the original spot with 1 stroke penalty, or
2. For two penalty strokes, the player may take relief by dropping a ball within two club lengths of the nearest point on the fairway to where the ball is believed lost, no closer to the hole. 

 

WMC Local Rule #6: Provisional Ball for Ball in a Penalty Area

 

(From USGA Model Local Rule 8 B-3 - https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/committee-procedures/rule-8.html)

 

If you hit a ball over a penalty area, and are not sure if you cleared the penalty area, but are virtually certain that the ball is either in the penalty area or in an area the ball is likely to be found, you may now hit a provisional shot from any of the normal relief areas for the penalty area prior to advancing forward to find out if you are in or out of the penalty area.  Under prior rules of golf, you were not allowed to hit a provisional in this scenario, however many people frequently did. The new USGA local rule adopted here now allows this.

 

If a player does not know whether his or her ball is in a penalty area or landed in the general area (in play), the player may play a provisional ball under Rule 18.3, which is modified in this way:

 

Where to hit your provisional: 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, the player may also use that relief option.  (This means you can hit the ball from the tee box, or drop where it entered the penalty area, etc.)

 

Once the player has played a provisional ball under this Rule, he or she may not use any further options under Rule 17.1 in relation to the original ball.  (e.g. No second drop if you hit a provisional).

 

1. When your original ball is found on the course outside a penalty area before the end of the three minute search time, it must be played.  (This is the same with any provisional ball scenario.)
2. When Original Ball Is Found in Penalty Area Within Three-Minute Search Time. The player may choose either to:
   1. Continue to play the original ball as it lies in the penalty area, or
   2. Continue to play the provisional ball in which case the original ball must not be played.
3. 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.

 

Scenarios: Here are the scenarios if you hit near or over a hazard but can’t tell where it landed, and then you hit a provisional.

• Ball cleared the hazard and found in general area – must play the original ball, pick up the provisional.
• Ball found in hazard – play it as it lies OR use the provisional (adding 1 stroke plus the provisional ball, e.g. lying 3 if it was a tee shot)
• Ball not found within three minutes is presumed in the hazard, so you play your provisional. You may not take another drop or claim the ball is lost.

 

3. Winter Rules

 

Willows Run course determines whether Winter Rules or regular rules apply and posts a sign on the starter shack.  The following WMC Local rules are in place WHENEVER the Winter Rules sign is on the starter shack OR if called out explicitly by the Tournament Director.

 

WMC Local Rule #7: Lift, Clean and Place

 

When a player’s ball lies in anywhere “in the general area” (e.g. closely mown areas and rough but excluding penalty areas, bunkers, teeing grounds and putting green), the ball may be lifted cleaned and placed within 6 inches of the original spot without penalty. The player must mark the spot before lifting the ball (see Rule 14.1).

 

The ball must be placed within 6 inches of the original spot (which if not known must be estimated), except when the ball must be replaced on a different spot under Rules 14.2d(2) and 14.2e.

 

Note: An embedded ball anywhere in the general area is covered by Rule 16.3, which allows you to lift, clean and drop within 1 club length, the entire season.

 

WMC Local Rule #8: Lost Ball believed to be embedded below surface or in abnormally long grass

 

If at least one other player in your group agrees that it is "known or virtually certain" that a ball is lost in a specifically identifiable soggy area and is likely embedded below the surface, or if it is lost in an area that is normally mown to a length where balls are typically able to be found, but has longer than normal grass due to seasonal maintenance/mowing limitations, the ball can be played without penalty by dropping in an equitable area agreed upon by all players.  This rule does not include un-mown “native” (tall) grass areas which are deemed hazards.

 

If there is any doubt where the ball disappeared, e.g. if no other player in the group has a high confidence of where they saw the ball land, the player should proceed under the new local lost ball local rule #5.