Stupid "Local Rules"

[iacas]

Okay, so I hope this thread can be a place where everyone lists their local "stupid local rules."

Today I played a golf course (Peek 'n Peak, pknpk.com, Lower Course) and on the card it says under Local Rules:

"Red and white stakes mark out of bounds."

WHAT?!?!? The Rules of Golf say pretty clearly: " Note 1: Stakes or lines used to define out of bounds should be white."

And they didn't mean like candy-cane stakes, they meant red and/or white stakes. Not "red-and-white" stakes.

So WTF? The course also had, in addition to bizarre red stakes on the left side of a hole with nothing resembling "golf course" beyond it, red stakes surrounding a water hazard that meandered across the center of a fairway, yellow stakes near boundaries that were watery, and a fence behind the ninth green, beyond which there was a parking lot, with NO MARKINGS AT ALL.

Lovely.

And we play this course in the Newport Cup? I think we'll just have to apply some sort of "common sense rules." Red stakes = lateral. Parking lot = OB (no Firestone type shit going on there!). If you're in what's obviously a creek and there are no stakes, it's a water hazard, not casual water.

What are some of the stupid "local rules" at any golf course(s) you've played?

[tonyy]

The other day I went to a course called Briarwood. It's a pretty nice course, not the hardest but very well taken care of. I looked at the score card and one of the rules were, "The ball can be moved in any direction with the distance of one club length."

Or something to that extent. It was the weirdest thing I ever saw. I mean, c'mon, what kind of rule is that? hahaha.

We were on the green and I was about 6ft away from the hole and I was like, "I'm gonna move my ball a club length closer to the hole to have a 2ft putt!"

[useless149149]

At alot of the courses I play virtually all the hazards are marked as "Evironmentally Sensitive Areas", meaning that you are not allowed to enter them to hit or even retrieve your ball (or the incredibly tantilizing 100 other golf balls you can see). I mean c'mon, these are areas that have utterly no importance to the environment (that I can see) and I have a hard time believing that 10 or 20 people walking in them a day will hurt them. Especially cuz they used to graze cattle there, which would have a much bigger impact than a couple of humans strolling through.

[iacas]

At alot of the courses I play virtually all the hazards are marked as "Evironmentally Sensitive Areas"

ESAs are part of the Rules of Golf, and in general, I don't have a problem with ESAs unless they're in the middle of a fairway or something. 10 to 20 people wandering through can do a fair amount of damage, so let's stick to silly local rules.

[CosmosMpower]

At alot of the courses I play virtually all the hazards are marked as "Evironmentally Sensitive Areas", meaning that you are not allowed to enter them to hit or even retrieve your ball (or the incredibly tantilizing 100 other golf balls you can see). I mean c'mon, these are areas that have utterly no importance to the environment (that I can see) and I have a hard time believing that 10 or 20 people walking in them a day will hurt them. Especially cuz they used to graze cattle there, which would have a much bigger impact than a couple of humans strolling through.

Maybe the sign should read something like "Please do not mess with Lostgolfballs.com inventory supply"

[ganjagolfer]

ESAs are part of the Rules of Golf, and in general, I don't have a problem with ESAs unless they're in the middle of a fairway or something. 10 to 20 people wandering through can do a fair amount of damage, so let's stick to silly local rules.

ditto, let's take care of the environment, "love your mother earth"

[Jay-Bird]

"Evironmentally Sensitive Areas" are all over one course I play. Nothing wrong with that.

One local rule that I've seen that I really liked was at Colbert Hills in Manhattan, KS, - - as soon as you get in the cart to start the round (the course is unwalkable) the oncart computer lets you know that "LOCAL RULE - Failure to repair ball marks on green will result in a two-stroke penalty". Kudos Colbert Hills.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

Meadows Farms Golf Course, Locust Grove, VA.

"Striking pole birdhouse, overhead wires - must drop and replay with no penalty."

The "pole birdhouses" are, if I remember correctly, the 150 yard markers and are at the edge of the rough, almost at the point where the fairway ends and the rough starts.

I'm not sure if the part of the local rule about hitting "overhead wires" is stupid or not, but I do think the part about hitting "pole birdhouses" is dumb.

[underparnv]

Overhead wires, I believe, is covered in the USGA Rules of golf. You must replay the shot with no penalty...

[gsu_paintballer]

The other day I went to a course called Briarwood. It's a pretty nice course, not the hardest but very well taken care of. I looked at the score card and one of the rules were, "The ball can be moved in any direction with the distance of one club length."

So do you use a belly putter or are you insanely tall?

[Q.Q.Quillume]

Overhead wires, I believe, is covered in the USGA Rules of golf. You

I was not able to find such a USGA rule.

The closest thing I could find was in Appendix I Local Rules Part B, 7.b. Temporary Power Lines and Cables "When temporary power lines, cables or telephone lines are installed on the course..." However I did not see any reference at all to permanent power lines and cables, which is what the Meadows Farms local refers to.

[Soup Fan]

Local rule from a muni exec I play with power lines.

"Any ball striking the tower or power lines may be replayed without penalty, but once you play another ball that is the ball in play."

[Big_M]

Tot Hill Farm - rated 7th or 8th hardest in US by Golf Digest... must have 6 handicap or less to play back tees which measure 6543. for the record I am a 7.8 and played the tips shooting an 84 with a few ugly holes and 3 penalty strokes.

Mallard Head... ball may be moved 1 club length in fairway no closer to hole... not sure why, maybe they just figure the FW's are in bad shape?

Coyote GC - many things considered ground under repair... all woodchips, flower beds, staked trees, and driving range.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

...Coyote GC - many things considered ground under repair... all woodchips, flower beds, staked trees, and driving range.

Well, of couse, Coyote GC didn't ask me but I'd vote for the practice range being OB!

[goblue107501]

This one isn't stupid, just unique. There is a new course opening in Branson, MO that is a Payne Stewart tribute course. One of the local rules will be that you can have a free drop from a sand filled divot in the fairway. Evidently, Payne was a big beliver that a sand filled divot should be considered ground under repair so they made the local rule that you can have a free drop.

[RemyM]

This one isn't stupid, just unique. There is a new course opening in Branson, MO that is a Payne Stewart tribute course. One of the local rules will be that you can have a free drop from a sand filled divot in the fairway. Evidently, Payne was a big beliver that a sand filled divot should be considered ground under repair so they made the local rule that you can have a free drop.

No, that's a stupid, and illegal, local rule because it's contrary to the rules of golf. It's true that Payne Stewart did feel that sand filled divots should be ground under repair though.

[beisenhauer]

Why should that be illegal? The course has the right to designate "ground under repair", don't they? So why can't they designate all sand-filled divots as ground under repair? That's like saying a PGA Tour event can't play under "lift, clean and place" because it's contrary to the rules of golf.

[RemyM]

Why should that be illegal? The course has the right to designate "ground under repair", don't they? So why can't they designate all sand-filled divots as ground under repair?

That leaves a lot up to interpretation. At what point is it grown in enough to not be ground under repair. GUR should be marked.

That's like saying a PGA Tour event can't play under "lift, clean and place" because it's contrary to the rules of golf.

Lift, clean and cheat is covered under Appendix I part A 4b

“Preferred Lies” and “Winter Rules” Adverse conditions, including the poor condition of the course or the existence of mud, are sometimes so general, particularly during winter months, that the Committee may decide to grant relief by temporary Local Rule either to protect the course or to promote fair and pleasant play. The Local Rule should be withdrawn as soon as the conditions warrant.