Local Rules / USGA Rules and Decisions

Local Rules

PUTTING BALL:  A player may substitute a putting ball while on the green.

SCORECARD ERRORS:  A player will not be disqualified for submitting an incorrectly calculated scorecard.  However, it is the Player's responsibility to verify writing is legible.  The Handicap Chairman will calculate final gross and net scores.  Illegible scores will not be subject to correction after the fact.

MEASURING DEVICES:  Players may use distance measuring devices with or without slope.  Sharing of distances is not considered advice.  Distance is considered public information and not advice (USGA Rules and Decisions 8-1/2).

ROCK RULE:  Please use your group's discretion and judge whether you should get free relief from rocks from any non-penalty area.  Example the pebble area between the 7th and 8th fairways at Northern Hills.  Look for "grass" and drop no nearer the hole.

PSGA Rules Review

Relief Area:  If a player is granted relief, they must drop within twenty (20) inches of nearest point of relief, no nearer the hole.  This replaces the need to grab a driver and measure club length(s) and then mark the club length for relief.

Dropping in Relief Area:  Player must drop a ball at least at knee level or higher.  This reduces the need for a second drop or time for a player to find just the right spot to drop a ball from shoulder height.

Substitution of Ball when taking relief:  Player may substitute a ball when taking relief.  Usually, a ball that needs relief is either muddy, damaged, or otherwise affects the next shot.  Substituting the ball may reduce a subsequent time-consuming errant shot.
  
Time Looking for a Ball:  New limit is reduced to three (3) minutes, down from the current five (5) minutes.

Relief for an Embedded Ball:  Player may take relief for an embedded lie, except in sand, without penalty.  Fairway and non-sand penalty areas are included.  Embedded lies are not a normal challenge of playing a course.

Putting Line:  Player may fix spike marks, or any non-ball marks, on the putting line without penalty.  Player may touch the putting line without penalty.  Better putting lines, hopefully means less putts, which means faster putt outs.

Unattended Flagstick in Hole:  Player may putt out without penalty even if there's an unattended flagstick in the hole.  No need to wait for someone to tend the flag.  However, hitting an unattended flagstick is the player's responsibility.  If the ball stays out, or is otherwise deflected by the unattended flagstick, the hole remains unfinished.  The player still needs to putt out.

Penalty Areas:  No more water hazards or native areas, these are now all Penalty Areas.  Which means, hit from point of last errant shot, or hit from within 20" inches of point of entry into the Penalty Area, or, as far back as needed, on a line between point of entry and the flagstick, no nearer the hole.  No penalty for grounding a club(s) in a Penalty Area.  No penalty for removing loose impediments in a Penalty Area.  Player may not drop on opposite side of Penalty Area as relief (time-consuming option).  Competition Committee may use its discretion to define all Penalty Areas as Lateral Relief.

Sand Bunkers:  Player may move loose impediments or may touch sand with a club, but not to test sand as in a practice swing or to ground a club behind or in front of the ball.  Player may declare any sand lie as unplayable and drop on a line behind the bunker in line with the flagstick and original lie, no nearer the hole and take a two (2) stroke penalty.

Damaged Clubs:  Player may continue to use damaged club(s) during a round even if damage was self-inflicted.  Player may not replace damaged club(s) if damage was self-inflicted.

Distance Measuring Devices:  Player may use any distance measuring device, unless Competition Committee prohibits them before start of the round.  Player may ask another Player for distance from a device.  Coaching, solicited or not, is prohibited.

Max Score on a Hole, Double Par:  Player is encouraged to pick up at double par.  Par 5 max score 10, Par 4 max score 8, and Par 3 max score 6.

Lift Ball to Identify:  Player does not need to wait for another Player to announce intention to lift or mark ball to identify or inspect possible relief need.