SWINFORD GOLF CLUB
Brabazon Park, Swinford, Co. Mayo
Founded 1910; Affiliated 1922; Number of Holes; 9.
RULES OF GOLF
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LOCAL RULES
1. Out of Bounds - Rule 27
All ground outside the boundaries of the course (marked by white stakes) including the GAA pitch is Out of Bounds (including the white stakes).
2. Immovable Obstructions - Rule 24-2
Free drop from a staked tree (1 Club Length not nearer the hole).
3. Ground Under Repair - Rule 25
All Ground Marked G.U.R. (Nearest Point of relief not nearer the hole).
4. Tees & Greens
A ball coming to rest on the wrong tee or green; free drop. (Nearest Point of relief not nearer the hole).
5. E.S.B. Wires
A ball hitting the ESB wires and poles must be replayed without penalty.
6. Integral Parts of the Course - Rule 26
All open drains are water hazards. (Rule 26.1) - all roads, bridges, paths, and trees are integral parts of the course. Rule 26 applies.
The ball must be played as it lies or declared unplayable
7. White Fairway Markers
White fairway markers are 150mts from the centre of the green.
8. Relief from stone drains
Relief from stone drains if balls land on stones or your stance is impeeded; free drop. (Nearest Point of relief not nearer the hole).
9. New Local Rule - Rule 25.2
A ball plugged through the green may be lifted, cleaned, and dropped without penalty.
10. See notice-board in club house for any additional rules.
Note: Penalty for infringement of local rules: Matchplay - loss of hole; Strokeplay - 2 holes. ______________________________________(back to top)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT RULES TO REMEMBER
(Rule 6: The Player)
The Official Rules of Golf appear on the About.com Golf site courtesy of the USGA, are used with permission, and may not be reprinted without the permission of the USGA.
6-1: Rules
The player and his caddie are responsible for knowing the Rules. During a stipulated_round, for any breach of a Rule by his caddie, the player incurs the applicable penalty.
6-2: Handicap
• a. Match Play
Before starting a match in a handicap competition, the players should determine from one another their respective handicaps. If a player begins a match having declared a handicap higher than that to which he is entitled and this affects the number of strokes given or received, he is disqualified; otherwise, the player must play off the declared handicap.
• b. Stroke Play
In any round of a handicap competition, the competitor must ensure that his handicap is recorded on his score card before it is returned to the Committee. If no handicap is recorded on his score card before it is returned (Rule 6-6b), or if the recorded handicap is higher than that to which he is entitled and this affects the number of strokes received, he is disqualified from the handicap competition; otherwise, the score stands.
Note: It is the player's responsibility to know the holes at which handicap strokes are to be given or received. Six Swinford members (in the 2011 calender season to date), have been disqualified for breaching
Rule: 6-2(b)
and Rule: 6-6(b) in the various Sunday competitions. Swinford Golf Club wishes each player to ensure his/her scorecard is correct before submitting.
6-3: Time of Starting and Groups
• a. Time of Starting
The player must start at the time established by the Committee.
• b. Groups
In stroke play, the competitor must remain throughout the round in the group arranged by the Committee unless the Committee authorizes or ratifies a change.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 6-3:
Disqualification.
(Best-ball and four-ball play — see Rules 30-3a and 31-2)
Note: The Committee may provide in the conditions of a competition (Rule_33-1) that, if the player arrives at his starting point, ready to play, within five minutes after his starting time, in the absence of circumstances that warrant waiving the penalty of disqualification as provided in Rule_33-7, the penalty for failure to start on time is loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play instead of disqualification.
6-4: Caddie
The player may be assisted by a caddie, but he is limited to only one caddie at any one time.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 6-4:
Match play — At the conclusion of the hole at which the breach is discovered, the state of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole at which a breach occurred; maximum deduction per round—Two holes.
Stroke play — Two strokes for each hole at which any breach occurred; maximum penalty per round—Four strokes.
Match or stroke play — In the event of a breach between the play of two holes, the penalty applies to the next hole.
A player having more than one caddie in breach of this Rule must immediately upon the discovery that a breach has occurred ensure that he has no more than one caddie at any one time during the remainder of the stipulated round. Otherwise, the player is disqualified.
Bogey and par competitions — See Note 1 to Rule 32-1a .
Stableford competitions — see Note 1 to Rule 32-1b .
Note: The Committee may, in the conditions of a competition (Rule 33-1 ), prohibit the use of caddies or restrict a player in his choice of caddie.
6-5: Ball
The responsibility for playing the proper ball rests with the player. Each player should put an identification mark on his ball.
6-6: Scoring in Stroke Play
• a. Recording Scores
After each hole the marker should check the score with the competitor and record it. On completion of the round the marker must sign the score card and hand it to the competitor. If more than one marker records the scores, each must sign for the part for which he is responsible.
• b. Signing and Returning Card
After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee. He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the score card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 6-6b:
Disqualification.
• c. Alteration of Card
No alteration may be made on a score card after the competitor has returned it to the Committee.
• d. Wrong Score for Hole
The competitor is responsible for the correctness of the score recorded for each hole on his score card. If he returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken, he is disqualified . If he returns a score for any hole higher than actually taken, the score as returned stands.
Note 1: The Committee is responsible for the addition of scores and application of the handicap recorded on the score card — see Rule 33-5 .
Note 2: In four-ball stroke play, see also Rule 31-3 and -7a . .______________________________________________________________(back to top)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Rule 8-2: Indicating Line of Play)
1. Other Than on Putting Green
Except on the putting green, a player may have the line of play indicated to him by anyone, but no one may be positioned by the player on or close to the line or an extension of the line beyond the hole while the stroke is being made. Any mark placed by the player or with his knowledge to indicate the line must be removed before the stroke is made.
Exception: Flagstick attended or held up – see Rule 17-1.
2. On the Putting Green
When the player’s ball is on the putting green, the player, his partner or either of their caddies may, before but not during the stroke, point out a line for putting, but in so doing the putting green must not be touched. A mark must not be placed anywhere to indicate a line for putting.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE
Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes.
Note: The Committee may, in the conditions of a team competition (Rule 33-1), permit each team to appoint one person who may give advice (including pointing out a line for putting) to members of that team. The Committee may establish conditions relating to the appointment and permitted conduct of that person, who must be identified to the Committee before giving advice.________________________________(back to top)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Rule 13-2: Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play)
A player must not improve or allow to be improved:
• the position or lie of his ball,
• the area of his intended stance or swing,
• his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole, or
• the area in which he is to drop or place a ball, by any of the following actions:
• pressing a club on the ground,
• moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds),
• creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,
• removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or
• removing dew, frost or water.
However, the player incurs no penalty if the action occurs:
• in grounding the club lightly when addressing the ball,
• in fairly taking his stance,
• in making a stroke or the backward movement of his club for a stroke and the stroke is made,
• in creating or eliminating irregularities of surface within the teeing ground (Rule 11-1) or in removing dew, frost or water from the teeing ground, or
• on the putting green in removing sand and loose soil or in repairing damage (Rule 16-1).
Exception: Ball in hazard – see Rule 13-4.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE:
Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes. ___________________________________________________________________(back to top)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Rule 27-2: Provisional Ball)
Q. In the absense of reasonable possibility that a ball is lost outside a water hazard or is out of bounds, may a player play a provisional ball?
A. No. If a player plays a ball under such circumstances, the ball is not a provisional ball but the ball in play
1. Procedure
If a ball may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds, to save time the player may play another ball provisionally in accordance with Rule 27-1 . The player must inform his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play that he intends to play a provisional ball, and he must play it before he or his partner goes forward to search for the original ball. If he fails to do so and plays another ball, that ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1); the original ball is lost.
(Order of play from teeing ground – see Rule 10-3)
Note: If a provisional ball played under Rule 27-2a might be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds, the player may play another provisional ball. If another provisional ball is played, it bears the same relationship to the previous provisional ball as the first provisional ball bears to the original ball.
2. When Provisional Ball Becomes Ball in Play
The player may play a provisional ball until he reaches the place where the original ball is likely to be. If he makes a stroke with the provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place, the original ball is lost and the provisional ball becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1). If the original ball is lost outside a water hazard or is out of bounds, the provisional ball becomes the ball in play, under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1). If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball is in a water hazard, the player must proceed in accordance with Rule 26-1.
Exception: If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball is in an obstruction (Rule 24-3) or an abnormal ground condition (Rule 25-1c), the player may proceed under the applicable Rule.
3. When Provisional Ball to be Abandoned
If the original ball is neither lost nor out of bounds, the player must abandon the provisional ball and continue to play with the original ball. If he makes any further strokes at the provisional ball, he is playing a wrong ball and the provisions of Rule 15-3 apply.
Note: If a player plays a provisional ball under Rule 27-2a, the strokes made after this Rule has been invoked with a provisional ball subsequently abandoned under Rule 27-2c and penalty strokes incurred solely by playing that ball are disregarded.
*Note: All rules of the week are confirmed by the R&A _______________________________________________________________(back to top)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RULES ARCHIVE
Stymie Rule:
Definition: The stymie is an archaic part of golf that was included in singles match play until it was eliminated from the Rules of Golf in 1952. When "stymies" were in effect, golf balls on the green were not marked and lifted in singles match play unless the two balls were within six inches of each other. A "stymie" occurred when another ball was directly in the putting line of your ball. Since that ball was not lifted (unless it was within 6 inches of your ball), you'd have to putt over or around it. Bobby Jones won the British Amateur in 1930 largely due to the rule of the stymie, when his opponent had to try to slice a putt from 7 feet on the final green. ___________
Website Disclaimer ______________________________________________________________________________________________(back to top)
