Rules

Please familiarise yourself with some local Society rules of play ahead of any event.

Putting (Invitational only):

All golfers must putt out on each hole – No Gimmies!!

Any player found not putting out will receive a 2-shot penalty.

The following are the only exceptions to the above rule:

If you reach a score that will return zero stableford points.

Play it as it Lies:

This should go without saying, but PLAY IT AS IT LIES, including no standing behind a ball to improve the swing path for your next shot.

Improving any lie will incur a 1-shot penalty.

Regular rules apply in terms of cart paths, man-made obstructions, sprinkler heads etc.

Relief from Penalty Areas:

When it is known or virtually certain that a ball is in a red penalty area and the player wishes to take relief, the player has three options, each for one penalty stroke:

The player may take stroke-and-distance relief (see point (1) in Diagram
The player may take back-on-the-line relief (see point (2) in Diagram
The player may take lateral relief (red penalty area only). The reference point for taking lateral relief is point X, which is the estimated point where the original ball last crossed* the edge of the red penalty area. The relief area is two club-lengths from the reference point, is not nearer to the hole than the reference point and may be in any area of the course, except the same penalty area.

* The critical word in this statement is crossed. All players must be happy with defining point X in the diagram before the ball can be dropped.

Lost Ball or Out of Bounds (excluding Penalty areas):

A 3-minute time limit for looking for lost balls must be adhered to at all times – make sure one person keeps an eye on this time to avoid slow play.

To improve speed of play a provisional ball does not need to be played. However if you choose to hit a provisional ball the below rule will not be available, irrespective of whether you would be better off under this rule. Think about this before deciding to hit a provisional!

When a player’s ball has not been found or is known or virtually certain to be out of bounds, the player may proceed as follows rather than proceeding under ‘stroke and distance’ and returning to the location the previous ball was played.

For two penalty strokes, the player may take relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in the relief area shown in the diagrams above:

Firstly establish the two Estimated Reference Points:

(a). Ball Reference Point: The point where the original ball is estimated to have come to rest on the course, or last crossed the edge of the course boundary to go out of bounds.
(b). Fairway Reference Point: The point of fairway of the hole being played that is nearest to the ball reference point, but is not nearer the hole than the ball reference point.

If a ball is estimated to be lost on the course or last crossed the edge of the course boundary short of the fairway, the fairway reference point may be a grass path or a teeing ground for the hole being played cut to fairway height or less.

The size of of the Relief Area is based on these two reference points: Anywhere between:

A line from the hole through the ball reference point (and within two club-lengths to the outside of that line), and
A line from the hole through the fairway reference point (and within two club-lengths to the fairway side of that line).

But must not be nearer the hole than the Ball Reference Point

Scoring via Gamebook:

Each group will nominate one person to keep score for their group via Golf Gamebook. The organisers for the day will then nominate a fellow playing partner to also score the game manually on a card. The Gamebook and manual scorers must be in separate buggies and every effort must be made to ensure that the score that they capture is accurate. Any debate on scores (including penalty shots) must be had at the end of each hole, do not take it for granted that the score a player requests is what he has scored.

At the end of each round the person who has scored the round manually must check to ensure that they are happy with the results recorded on gamebook before the round can be ended.

Etiquette:

“All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by:

Acting with integrity – for example, by following the Rules, applying all penalties, and being honest in all aspects of play.
Showing consideration to others – for example, by playing at a prompt pace, looking out for the safety of others, and not distracting the play of another player.
Taking good care of the course– for example, by replacing divots, smoothing bunkers, repairing ball-marks, and not causing unnecessary damage to the course.

Pace of Play (Ready Golf):

We encourage “ready golf” to be played during all the ODOS Golf Society events (unless the format for the day is matchplay). However players have to act sensibly to ensure that playing out of turn does not impact other players.

“Ready golf” should not be confused with being ready to play, which all golfers should be, don’t wait until its your turn to select a club or line up a putt.

There is no official definition of the term, but examples of “ready golf” in action are:

Hitting a shot when safe to do so if a player farther away faces a challenging shot and is taking time to assess their options.
Shorter hitters playing first from the tee or fairway if longer hitters have to wait.

Hitting a tee shot if the person with the honour is delayed in being ready to play.
Hitting a shot before helping someone to look for a lost ball. Example in a fourball would be that the furthest player away plays their shot whilst the other three look for the ball. Rotating the playing player until the ball is found or 3 minutes has elapsed.
Putting out even if it means standing close to someone else’s line. Marking balls slows down play!!
Hitting a shot if a person who has just played from a greenside bunker is still farthest from the hole but is delayed due to raking the bunker.
When a player’s ball has gone over the back of a green, any player closer to the hole but chipping from the front of the green should play while the other player is having to walk to their ball and assess their shot
Marking scores upon immediate arrival at the next tee, except that the first player to tee off marks their card immediately after teeing off