Information

Local Rules apply to various areas of the course and MUST be adhered to.

Please check the club noticeboard as these can change on a daily basis

Free relief – Rules 15 & 16

Abnormal conditions are: Animal Hole; GUR; Immovable Obstruction; Temporary Water.  

• Man Made Constructions - The artificial faces of bunkers are an integral part of the course and free relief from interreference to stance or swing is not allowed.
• The following are abnormal conditions from which free relief is allowed under rule 16.1:
• The Committee has not declared any other constructions to be 'an integral part of the course' and free relief as appropriate may be taken.
• Paths - All roads and paths on the course, even if not artificially-surfaced, are treated as immovable obstructions from which free relief may be taken under rule 16.1 (this includes worn approaches to bridges.
• Fences Protecting the 2nd & 14th Tees – During play of the 13^th and 18^th holes, if the protective fence by the 14^th & 2^nd tees is on a player’s line of play, free relief may be taken by dropping a ball within 2 club lengths of either end of that fence. However, this relief is only allowed where the ball is in play nearer to the hole than the dropping zone.
• Free relief may be taken for the following ground irregularities under GUR
  • All areas of the course where turf has been newly laid, cut or removed, earth piles from ground works and newly dug ditches.
  • Deep Tractor Marks.
  • All drainage channels back filled with stones.
  • The teaching tee between the 4th tee & 6th fairway.
  • The Mole Hills on the right-hand side of the 16th hole. These have been mown over and the ground is irregular. They may therefore be treated as abnormal ground conditions.
  • Un-recovered drainage channels in the general area, where the ball lies beneath the natural surface of the course, may be treated as abnormal ground conditions.
• Free relief must be taken for the following conditions
  • The Rules of Golf referring to 'Putting Greens' also apply to temporary greens (where clearly defined and contained within perimeter rings). If interfering with a player’s stance or swing a ball MUST be dropped within 1 club length of nearest point of relief.
  • Young Trees - If a player’s ball lies anywhere on the course except in a penalty area, and it lies on or touches a newly planted tree under 4 feet high or a staked tree, or if it interferes with a player’s stance or swing the player must take relief under rule 16.1f. (If the ball lies in a penalty area and interference occurs, the player may take free relief in the penalty area, or outside of the area under penalty – rule 17.1e refers).

Practice – Rule 5.2b

• Rule 5.2b is modified in this way - Though within the confines of the course, the grass area between the 10th and 13th holes and between the 4th and 6th holes are practice areas and may be used as such prior to play.

Penalty Areas – Rule 17

• When taking penalty area relief, a player must take as their point of reference the point where it last crossed that area, which may be not necessarily be on the fairway side for any hole. If deciding to take lateral relief and the penalty area is narrow, it is permissible to measure the two club lengths from the reference point across the penalty area.
• When a player’s ball is in the penalty area on the right-hand side of 6 (the ditch), as an extra relief option adding one penalty stroke, where the ball last crossed the penalty area from the out of bounds side, the player may use the point on the opposite side of the penalty area to where the ball crossed the penalty area (ie. the fairway side) as their reference point for dropping purposes.

OUT OF BOUNDS - POINTS OF CLARIFICATION

A ball is out of bounds if played in, over or through the natural boundaries of the course. i.e. fences, hedges, ditches and woods together with the white posts which define the confines of the course. The Bird Sanctuary, Firing Range, Cemetery, Putting Green, Car Park, Club House and surrounding pavements are all out of bounds.

The ball is OOB when all of it lies out of bounds. No relief is allowed from objects defining out of bounds such as walls, fences, railings and stakes as they are 'outside of the confines of the course'.

The natural boundaries are not hole specific and a ball lying beyond any boundary is out of bounds regardless of the hole being played. When white boundary posts or markings are not evident the natural boundaries are specifically defined as follows:

• Beyond the hedge on the left-hand side of the 1st hole and from a point where the hedge ends on or beyond the public footpath.
• Beyond the ditch on the right-hand side of the 6th hole.
• In or over the ditch on the left-hand side of the 7th hole, commencing from the woodland area beyond the tractor bridge opening.
• In or over the ditch on the left-hand side of the 8th hole and from the point where the ditch meets the public pathway, on or over the public pathway.
• Through the wire fence surrounding the firing range by the 11th tee.
• On or over the public footpath on the left-hand side of the 11th and 12th holes.
• Beyond the fence protecting the car park on the left-hand side of the 13th hole.
• Beyond the fence surrounding the bird sanctuary on the right-hand side of the 15th and 16th holes.
• On or beyond the grating which separates 'the clubhouse and surrounding paving' from the pathway around the 18th hole.
• In or beyond the hedge between the 10^th tee and the putting green. 

TEMPORARY LOCAL RULES - Effective from 01/10/2021

Winter Rules are in Operation.  As of the 1st of October 2021, through to the 30th of April 2022, preferred lies on closely mown areas (fairways and green fringes only) are permissible and unless susequently advised will remain in operation at Haste Hill throughout the period.

When a player’s ball lies in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less, the player may take free relief once by placing the original ball or another ball in and playing it from this relief area:
Reference Point: Spot of the original ballSize of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: 6 inches from the reference point, but with these limits:  Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and Must be in the general area.
In proceeding under this Local Rule, the player must choose a spot to place the ball and use the procedures for replacing a ball under Rules 14.2b(2) and 14.2e.

DIitch on right hand side of 8th hole - This is currently GUR.

Damaged first hole green - The sanded area on the first green is GUR..