Information

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

Please check the club noticeboard for any urgent temporary changes.

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 Committee has not declared any other constructions to be 'an integral part of the course' and free relief as appropriate may be taken.
• The following are abnormal conditions from which free relief is allowed under rule 16.1:
• 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 providing that in taking such relief the ball is no nearer the hole than where it originally lay.

• 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 and elsewhere. These have been mown over and not swept flat the ground is highly irregular and 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.
• 6^th Hole - The area from the left-hand edge of the dug ditch on the right-hand side of 6 right across to the boundary of the graveyard course boundary fence is within the penalty area. When a player’s ball is in this penalty area as an extra relief option adding one penalty stroke, if 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.
• 4^th and 7^th Holes – The outer edge of the hedge between 4^th and 7^th holes marks the margin of the penalty area. All of the hedge is within the penalty area.

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 graveyard boundary fence 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.
• The Putting Green. 

TEMPORARY LOCAL RULES - Effective from 01/10/2021

Winter Rules are not in Operation

The ditch that runs between the 8th and 16th greens is GUR for its entire length.

The damaged turf area on the left-hand rear side of first green turf is GUR.