Anybody knows this Local Rule?

[Shorty]

  James_Black said:

Is it?

One example is when during heavy rain some committees declare all bunkers G.U.R. They aren't supposed to do it, but they do.

[James_Black]

  Shorty said:

One example is when during heavy rain some committees declare all bunkers G.U.R. They aren't supposed to do it, but they do.

Because they become unplayable would be one reason.

They only close them at my course when they fill up with water.

[Fourputt]

  Shorty said:

Which is what I said. But they do. This is an example of it.

  Shorty said:

One example is when during heavy rain some committees declare all bunkers G.U.R. They aren't supposed to do it, but they do.

What a course may do has no bearing on the legitimacy of a purported "local rule". It is not a local rule unless it has been approved.

It may be course policy , but it is not enforceable in a competition played under the Rules of Golf. For the bunker comment: What is recommended is if the course is in such bad shape that they feel it necessary to declare the bunkers GUR, then play should be suspended. It is allowed if necessary for individual bunkers, but such a blanket declaration would be frowned on at best. Courses do lots of things which they love to call local rules, but they are not actually rules unless approved. I am a rules official with the Colorado Golf Association, and such bogus, so-called local rules are suspended for any competitions we run. If a course won't suspend the policy, then we will find another place to hold the tournament. To the above poster who mentioned the no chipping restriction applied to a practice green: The practice green is not part of the course in a stipulated round, so such a policy policy applied to that has no bearing on the rules. This is often done to protect the surface of the putting green by courses which have a separate chipping green. If they allow chipping on all of the practice greens then they soon don't have a nice putting green. They all end up with ball marks and other damage. Not to mention the hazard of skulled or shanked shots nailing another person practicing his putting.

[Ignorant]

So, nobody has heard of such Local Rule nor seen one, and that kind of rule would certainly have to be approved by the ruling body (USGA or R&A;) for it being a valid rule. I would very much appreciate if anybody coming accross with such Local Rule would provide us with the information where it can be found.

As far as water filled bunkers are concerned, some bunkers may have problems to let the water through and may very well be filled with water even some days after a rainy period. It would only show common sense from the Committee to declare these bunkers as through the green so there would be no need for GUR markings.

[cody west]

my course hates kids so if an adult does it its fine but i actually had a friend get his membership revoked for using a wedges on a shot that would require you to putt from green to fringe to green. an adult did the same thing and the starter on the course just sat by and watched

[Shorty]

  Ignorant said:

S

I thought I had made it clear that this ( a blanket ruling) is not something which is permissable. I used it as an example of how golf clubs do make local rules (even temporarily) which they shouldn't. Individual bunkers can be declared G.U.R. not all. I have played courses where they have declared them all G.U.R. It would appear to be common sense. NO one is debating why it is done, obviously it is beacuause of water and the greens staff's inability to maintain them. The comment I made was in answer to another poster wondering if clubs actually do do things that aren't permitted.

[James_Black]

  cody west said:

my course hates kids so if an adult does it its fine but i actually had a friend get his membership revoked for using a wedges on a shot that would require you to putt from green to fringe to green. an adult did the same thing and the starter on the course just sat by and watched

adults pay more money.

I'm a junior member and I know if I did something like that I'd be in trouble. The people that pay a grand a year though would get away with it.

[cody west]

  James_Black said:

adults pay more money.

ya at my course the kids pay a grand too and in almost every situation the kids are the better golfers

[Ignorant]

  Shorty said:

I thought I had made it clear that this ( a blanket ruling) is not something which is permissable. I used it as an example of how golf clubs do make local rules (even temporarily) which they shouldn't. Individual bunkers can be declared G.U.R. not all. I have played courses where they have declared them all G.U.R. It would appear to be common sense. NO one is debating why it is done, obviously it is beacuause of water and the greens staff's inability to maintain them. The comment I made was in answer to another poster wondering if clubs actually do do things that aren't permitted.

I am not sure if I understand right what U r saying. To make my point of view very clear:

The Committee has every power to declare an individual hazard (even a water hazard) to be through the green, if the hazard in question temporarily (or permanently) no longer serves the purpose originally designed for that particular hazard. There is nothing in the RoG to forbid that. However, Committee must use thorough consideration when exercising it's power in such cases. I hope we agree on this.

[Greg]

Why would anyone want to chip while on the green? Thats what the putter is for. I putt sometimes when im not even on the fringe, i can simply get the ball closer by putting than chipping. Anyone who would possibly be stupid enough to chip on a green and make a divot on the green should be kicked off the course, what an idiot. If its a funny shaped green, just putt harder to get through the fringe if you must but never chip on the green. Greens are the one part of the course that should always look perfect, dont encourage people to chip. I know if i did it i would damage the green, i would never attempt it. That guy in Korea was lucky he didnt have to pay for the damage to the green or perhaps get detained or worse.

[cody west]

  Greg said:

Why would anyone want to chip while on the green? Thats what the putter is for. I putt sometimes when im not even on the fringe, i can simply get the ball closer by putting than chipping. Anyone who would possibly be stupid enough to chip on a green and make a divot on the green should be kicked off the course, what an idiot. If its a funny shaped green, just putt harder to get through the fringe if you must but never chip on the green. Greens are the one part of the course that should always look perfect, dont encourage people to chip. I know if i did it i would damage the green, i would never attempt it. That guy in Korea was lucky he didnt have to pay for the damage to the green or perhaps get detained or worse.

are you serious...you would have to break the putt into two parts and you have to assume that you are accurate enough to hit the putt where you want it to be hit when it hits the fringe then you have to make sure its going fast enough to get through the fringe but then stop where you want it to. that is probably the easiest way to de-green a putt then your stuck having to get up and down and your not on the green hitting for par or worse.

do you even know how little work it takes to replace a spot on a green. every course worth playing has a huge green someone semi-hidden that if something like that happens they just cut it out and put a new piece of green in. you do realize that when they put a new hole in they cut out a circle in the green and replace it with an old circle they cut a few days ago so whats the difference when it happens because a person made a small mark or a greens keeper cuts a hole in the green. if your playing a halfway decent course that mark that really shouldnt be any bigger than a pitch mark will be fixed by the next day. are you also against people hitting long irons into the greens because in case you haven't noticed, when a player hits a long iron into a green from any long distance or a wedge into the green it takes a good size piece out of the green when it hits. do you think they should be thrown off the course because, just like someone chipping on the green into a pin on a weird shaped green they know its going to take a chunk out of the green but because they want to put the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible they do it. seriously there is almost no difference other than that the person hitting the long iron is guaranteed to take a chunk out of the green. if you chip with any control you can pick it clean but if your hitting a long iron from like 225 you can bet that your going to take a piece of the green out every time. i agree that if you do serious damage you should pay for it but who is taking beaver tale divot out of a green. you have to remember how small and rare it is to take a divot on a short chip. your basically taking a putter swing on a club with loft

[RemyM]

Riviera CC has a local rule for member play that you can only use your putter on the 6th green. It has a bunker in the middle of the green. That rule is not in effect when the PGA Tour or USGA have events there.
http://www.golfcoursegurus.com/reviews/riviera.php

[Shorty]

  Greg said:

Why would anyone want to chip while on the green? Thats what the putter is for. I putt sometimes when im not even on the fringe, i can simply get the ball closer by putting than chipping. Anyone who would possibly be stupid enough to chip on a green and make a divot on the green should be kicked off the course, what an idiot. If its a funny shaped green, just putt harder to get through the fringe if you must but never chip on the green. Greens are the one part of the course that should always look perfect, dont encourage people to chip. I know if i did it i would damage the green, i would never attempt it. That guy in Korea was lucky he didnt have to pay for the damage to the green or perhaps get detained or worse.

I have seen Ernie Els putt into a bunker from on the green. Putting the ball harder wouldn't have helped him.