Applying the Local Rules

This guide assists Members and guests in interpreting the Glenelg Golf Club’s local rules for Club Competition.

To be read in conjunction with the Local Rules which can be found in both the Glenelg Golf Club app and the MiScore app and by clicking here.

This Guide is available within the Glenelg Golf Club app, together with explanations of Commonly applied Stroke play rules and is also available by clicking here.

Taking Relief

When you are taking either free or penalty relief your ball must be dropped in a relief area, except when taking relief from an embedded lie in the revetted (sod-face) of a bunker, where the ball must be placed within one club-length of the nearest point, not nearer to the hole than the place where the ball was embedded.

A relief area will always be a circle, semi-circle or smaller part of a circle, of radius either one or two club-lengths from a reference point, depending on the circumstances’.

Unless otherwise indicated, when taking relief both the reference point and all of the relief area must not be closer to the hole than the point where the ball was at rest.

Whenever taking relief, whether by dropping or placing,

  • the ball may be cleaned; or
  • another ball may be used.

Neither of these options applies when a ball is to be replaced after lifting it,

  • for the purpose of identification;
  • to examine it for damage; or
  • because it was assisting or interfering with the player of another player.

Where to Take Relief

When taking relief from an immovable obstruction, ground under repair, temporary water or a no play zone, the place from which the reference point is measured is dependent upon whether the ball is found or has been lost in the condition.

If the ball is found, then the reference point for the relief area is the nearest point of complete relief (see below) to where the ball was at rest, which is not nearer to the hole.

If the ball is lost in the condition, then the reference point for the relief area is the point of complete relief (see below), not nearer to the hole, from the point on the edge where the ball entered the condition.

If there is a blue stake associated with:

  • an immovable obstruction;
  • ground under repair;
  • temporary water;
  • a no play zone; or a penalty area,

then relief must be taken at that dropping zone. (see Dropping Zone below)

Degrees of Relief

There are three degrees of relief.

In general, when taking relief, you must take complete relief from the condition concerned:  immovable obstruction; wrong green; ground under repair; temporary water.

This means that your stance and area of intended swing, as well as your ball, must be clear of interference from the condition that is causing you to take relief.

In the case where relief from temporary water is sought on the putting green, or in a bunker where complete relief is not possible, maximum available relief may be taken. That is, you may place your ball (on or off the green) or drop your ball (in the bunker) at a point where there is interference from the water but such interference is at its minimum.

In the case of relief from a penalty area it is not necessary that relief must be complete. That is, your ball will be in play even if when dropped it comes to rest in a position such that you need to stand within the penalty area.

Course Boundary and Out of Bounds (OOB)

The boundary of the course is marked by a combination of:

  • wire perimeter fence;
  • housing fences;
  • brush fence, such as at the 4th/5th green/tee, 8th fairway, and 9th and 16th tees;
  • the net at the southern end of the practice range; and
  • black-topped white stakes.

The following two areas are outside of the course boundary and if your ball comes to rest in either of these areas it is out of bounds:

The 12th Hole turf nursery is OOB – play a provisional ball if you think your ball may be in this area.

The Eastern carpark and practice range are OOB – play a provisional ball if you think your ball may be in this area.

The actual boundary is the line between the inner-most edge of the stakes or fence posts at ground level.

In order for your ball to be out of bounds, the whole of it must be beyond the OOB line.

The ball is not out of bounds.
The ball is out of bounds.

If your ball is out of bounds you must either return to play another ball from the point where you last played and incur a one stroke penalty (called stroke-and-distance) or if you have played a provisional ball, that ball becomes the ‘ball in play’ and you lie three strokes.

Note that:

  • Boundary objects are to be treated as immovable, and there is no free relief. If a boundary object interferes with your play, you must either play the ball as it lies or take ‘unplayable ball’ relief.
  • Under no circumstances are boundary objects to be moved – the penalty for doing so is two strokes.
  • Brush fences which are inside the boundary fence and are ‘immovable obstructions’, from which free relief may be taken.
  • The course boundary extends both above and below the ground.

Coloured Stakes and Lines

  • Red indicates a penalty area
  • Black indicates a no play zone
  • White indicates ground under repair
  • Blue indicates a dropping zone
  • Black-topped white is a boundary object

These stakes are all designated as immovable and must not be moved: the penalty for doing so is two strokes (see ‘Immovable Obstructions, below).

If one of these stakes interferes with the lie of your ball, your stance or your swing you may take free relief, except when your ball is in a penalty area, when the only available relief is to drop outside of the area for a penalty of one stroke.

Dropping Zone

A dropping zone is indicated by a labelled blue stake, which creates a relief zone of two club-lengths.

When dropping, if the ball comes to rest more than two club-lengths from the stake it must be re-dropped and if it again comes to rest more than two club-lengths from the stake, it must be placed at the spot where it was last dropped.

If a blue stake is associated with an immovable obstruction [IO], ground under repair [GUR] or no play zone [NPZ], on the hole being played, then free relief must be taken at that point.

If there is more than one blue stake associated with such a condition relief must be taken at the stake nearest to the point where the ball has come to rest, even if such stake is closer to the hole.

If a blue stake is associated with a penalty area [PA], then penalty relief must be taken at that point.

For example:

If your ball comes to rest in an area marked by black lines and stakes it is in a no play zone and you must not play it as it lies.

If a blue stake is present – as is the case with the Western carpark [IO] when playing the 7th hole, for example – you must drop your ball within two club-lengths of that stake.

If more than one blue stake is present – as is the case with the Western carpark [IO] when playing the 1st hole, you must drop your ball within two club-lengths of the nearest stake to the point where your ball last entered the condition, even if the stake is closer to the hole.

Note that the Clubhouse/Maintenance compound is a No Play Zone, with a dropping zone for each hole being played.

Relief From a Wrong Green

A ‘wrong green’ is any green on the course other than the putting green of the hole you are playing, including the chipping/putting green in the practice area.

A wrong green includes all of the general area within a club-length of the edge of the green.

If your ball is on a wrong green, or the green causes interference to your stance or swing, you must take free relief by dropping a ball in a one club-length relief area from the nearest point of complete relief to where the ball came to rest, which is not nearer to the hole.

Complete relief in this instance means that both the lie of the ball and your stance must be at least one club-length from the edge of the green.

If your ball has finished on the grass fringe of the wrong green, it must be dropped in the ‘general area’, but if your ball has come to rest in a ‘bunker’, and the wrong green interferes with your stance, then the nearest point of complete relief, and the relief area, must be in the bunker.

Another way of thinking about this situation is to imagine that the ‘virtual’ edge of the green for the purpose of taking this relief is one club-length outside of the ‘actual’ edge.

Garden Beds

All garden beds, other than those in a no play zone, such as the Clubhouse/Maintenance area, are in play and no free relief is available, unless there is interference from a staked plant (see below).

Young Trees, Shrubs and Grasses

To protect a plant which has a stake or guard, and the plant interferes with your stance or your intended swing, you must not play the ball but must drop a ball within a one club-length relief area taken from the nearest point, which is not nearer to the hole, so that there is complete relief from the plant. This means that if you touch the plant in any way in the course of making your stroke you incur a two-stroke penalty, for playing from the wrong place.  

Sod-Faced Bunkers

If your ball is embedded in the face of a bunker sodded with natural turf, you must take free relief by placing a ball in the ‘general area’, up to one club-length from the nearest point, not closer to the hole, to the place where the ball was embedded.

While such a face is not technically part of the ‘bunker’, you can think of this procedure as taking relief outside of the notional boundary of the bunker.

But bunker faces constructed from artificial turf are ‘integral objects’ from which free relief is not available for any reason.

Immovable Obstruction Close to the Putting Green

Normally relief from a sprinkler head or drainage grate is only available if it interferes with your lie, stance or swing. However, if a sprinkler head or drainage grate which is within two club-lengths of a green interferes with your intended line of play and your ball lies within two club-lengths of the obstruction, you may drop a ball at the nearest point where the obstruction does not interfere with your line of play, without penalty.

Yes
No – ball more than two club-lengths from obstruction.
No – obstruction more than two club-lengths from green.

Tree Roots In Areas Cut To Fairway Height

If a tree root(s) on, or within two club-lengths of, a part of the course cut to fairway height interferes with the lie of the ball or with your intended swing you may take free relief by dropping your ball within a one club-length relief area, not nearer to the hole, where there is no interference to the lie or swing.

Note that you cannot take relief if the tree root(s) interferes with your stance only, whether this occurs before or after you have taken relief.

You may take reasonable action prior to playing your stroke to test whether a tree root(s) is present.

Immovable Obstructions

The following are designated immovable obstructions, and, even if it is physically possible to do so, must not be moved before playing your shot:

  • All items of watering equipment – including temporary sprinklers and hoses;
  • Signs relating to dangerous situations such as ‘snakes present’, player safety such as ‘bunker ahead’ or any other sign which is clearly directed at these purposes;
  • Drainage grates;
  • Fences other than boundary fences, such as at the 2nd tee;
  • The Western carpark – the Eastern carpark is out of bounds;
  • Stakes defining penalty areas (red), no play zones (black), drop zones (blue), ground under repair (white); and
  • Paved surfaces, quarry sand paths (including timber borders even when displaced from their ‘normal’ position), areas of plastic matting installed for the purpose of turf preservation.

If you move one of these designated ‘immovable obstructions’ before playing your stroke you incur a two-stroke penalty for breaching a local rule. However, if you replace the object before playing your stroke, you are not penalised.

Note that the reason for designating some objects as immovable obstructions, even though they may easily be moved, is that these objects define the course conditions and if they are moved it could be dangerous or unfair to following players.

Note that all stakes and signs (such as cart direction signs) apart from those listed above are movable obstructions but if any of these objects, or any other object placed to direct traffic or protect an area, is moved to facilitate the play of your ball you are requested to ensure that it is replaced once you have played.

If your ball comes to rest so that there is interference to the lie of your ball, your stance or your swing by an immovable obstruction, you may take free relief.

Except that if an immovable object is located out of bounds – such as a vehicle in the Eastern carpark – then there is no free relief. If a part of such a vehicle is encroaching into the course, then IO relief may be taken from that part of the vehicle, only.

In taking relief:

  • If there is a blue stake(s) associated with an immovable obstruction you must follow the ‘Dropping Zone’ procedure described above; or
  • If there is no stake(s) present you must drop your ball within a one club-length relief area taken from the point where your ball lies so that you get complete relief from interference to your stance and swing.

If when playing your stroke your stance or club touches the obstruction you will incur a two-stroke penalty, for playing from the wrong place.

The red stakes are ‘immovable obstructions’ but the green/white stakes are ‘movable obstructions’, which if moved must be replaced after you have played your stroke.

Painted Lines or Dots

If your ball comes to rest on a painted line or dot in a part of the course cut to fairway height or on a putting green, you may take free relief from interference to your lie or swing by dropping your ball in a one club-length relief area taken from the nearest point, not nearer to the hole, where there is no interference.

Note that if there is interference to your stance only, then there is no relief and you must play the ball as it lies.

If your ball is the general area, it must be dropped, but if it is on the putting green it must be placed.

Irrigation

If your ball comes to rest such that there is interference to your lie, stance or swing from the spray zone of any piece of irrigation equipment, free relief may be taken by dropping a ball within a one club-length relief area measured from the nearest point to the point where your ball finished which ensures that your stroke is not affected by the spray.

Note that all irrigation equipment is immovable. (see ‘Immovable Obstructions’, above).

Seams of Cut Turf

Seams of cut turf in a part of the general area cut to fairway height, or on a putting green, may be treated as ‘ground under repair’ if there is interference to the lie of the player’s ball or the area of the player’s intended swing, but not for the player’s intended stance.

All seams in a given area are to be treated as the same seam for the purpose of taking complete relief, that is, a dropped ball must be free from interference by any seam in the area, or it must be re-dropped.

Note that if there is interference to your stance only, then there is no relief and you must play the ball as it lies.

Note that if the ball is in the general area, it must be dropped, but if it is on the putting green it must be placed.

Note that if your ball is on the putting green then you are also entitled to relief from interference to your intended line of play.

Embedded Ball

Free relief can be taken for a ball which is embedded in its own pitch-mark only when your ball is in an area of turf cut to fairway height.

In order to obtain free relief, it must be known or virtually certain that the ball is, in fact, in its own pitch-mark, otherwise it must be played as it lies, or unplayable ball relief must be taken.

This rule means that in such areas as beneath the trees on the 2nd, 8th, 12th and 18th holes, and sandy waste areas, there is no free relief and the ball must be played as it lies, or declared unplayable.

Penalty Areas

An area marked with red lines and/or stakes is a ‘penalty area’.

If any part of your ball is inside of or is touching or overhanging the red line then it is in the penalty area.

If your ball is in a penalty area you may either play it as it lies or with a penalty of one stroke:

  • return to the place from which you last played, or
  • drop a ball in a one club-length relief area as far behind the penalty area as you wish keeping the point of entry and the flagstick in line (called back-on-line relief), or
  • drop a ball within a relief area of two club-lengths from the point where the ball last crossed the defined edge of the area, and which is no nearer to the hole than that point.

Note that when playing the 18th hole if it is known or virtually certain that your ball is lost inside a penalty area adjacent to the practice fairway and either relief option utilising the point of entry is being taken:

  • your ball must be dropped on the course – that is, inside the boundary;
  • all or part of your stance can be inside the penalty area;
  • all or part of your stance can be out of bounds.

Your stance may be in the penalty area or it may be out of bounds

[ALR : 19/12/2023]