The below mentioned Local CMSG Golf Rules are for CMSG members only and some of them are specifically formulated for a specific Golf Course and not meant to be applied on all played Golf Courses.
(Revision 06/2017)
First rule for the CMSG is, if in doubt what rule applies, play one Ball according to your understanding and another according to your playing partners understanding. After holing out both Balls, note the two Scores and see immediately after you finished your round the Committee to get a clarification, than write down the final score for the hole(s) in question and sign your score card.
- Mr. B RULE – Red Ants – This rule is covered by the USGA rule under 1-4/10 and allows a one club length relieve from dangerous animals. If the ball lay through the green, the player may, without penalty, drop a ball within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest spot not nearer the hole that is not dangerous and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green. Applied with the CMSG it will always be know as the Mr. B rule.
DROP ZONES – Club outings will abide by the local rules of all the courses played. However the player has the option to drop his ball according to the Rules of Golf and is not obliged to use the drop zones. If not stated as compulsory in local course rules, or if there are no designated drop zones, then the Rules of Golf apply e.g., play from the line of entry into the hazard no closer to the hole. When dropping a ball in a drop zone, or after hitting a ball into water & having to drop, hold the ball at shoulder height & arm’s length & then drop. The options for dropping a ball after hitting it into a water hazard are as follows:
If a ball is found in the water hazard or if it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in the water hazard (whether the ball lies in water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke:
- Proceed under the stroke and distance provision of Rule 27-1 by playing a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or
- Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or
- As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a lateral water hazard, drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.
When proceeding under this Rule, the player may lift and clean his ball or substitute a ball.
(Prohibited actions when ball is in a hazard – see Rule 13-4)
(Ball moving in water in a water hazard – see Rule 14-6)
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE:
Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes.
Example: If the ball rolls in the creek on the left side on hole 18 on Mae Jo from down the hill left of the creek, you may drop on the left side of the creek within 2 club lengths or on the right side equidistant to the hole! The (lateral) water-hazards on several courses are not well or not at all marked. Use common sense to determine the margin of the hazard. Sometimes it starts where there is a different cut of the grass, sometimes it is where the course starts sloping down to the water. If you are not sure ask the other players for there opinion.
LOST BALL – If a ball is lost and a provisional ball has not been played, to speed up the game rather than returning to the previous position of playing the ball (stroke and distance) a player may drop a ball at a spot where the ball is deemed to have crossed the line of entry into the hazard or unusual condition but not on the fairway for a two stroke penalty. If the Ball is most likely in OB hit another a provisional Ball from the Tee-Box.
STAKED TREES – The USGA/R&A book have no rule for this. However the USGA/R&A has a recommendation that a local rule can be made to protect trees, i.e. we will follow the local rules set by each golf course. If the course has not made a local rule for this, then the trees have no protection, so you play it as you find it or take an unplayable lie according to rule 28. In any case the relief applies only for the stake, in other words, if the stake is not in your stance or impedes your intended swing no relief is warranted.
TEMPORARY CONDITIONS – During the wet season it may be necessary to grant temporary relief from conditions that might interfere with proper playing of the game, including mud and extreme wetness, warranting relief for an embedded ball anywhere on the fairway or permitting lifting, cleaning and replacing a ball (preferred lies) on a closely-mown area through the green. The Temporary condition will also include embedded Balls through the Green (The USGA also adopts the Local Rule for Embedded Balls Through the Green (remember that you can lift your embedded Ball, clean it but than have to drop it, not closer to the Pin). This Local Rule, in Appendix I; Part B; Section 3a, entitles players to relief without penalty for a ball embedded in its own pitch-mark anywhere through the green (except Hazards)). If the course does not allow the Golf Carts onto the Fairway because of the conditions, this rule is automatic in play and will be WILL BE ADVISED BEFORE THE START OF THE ROUND. Before lifting the ball a player must mark its position. Having lifted the ball he must place it in a spot within six inches of and not nearer the hole than where it originally lay, that is not in a hazard and not on a putting green. If the player fails to mark the position of the ball before lifting it or moves the ball in any other manner, such as rolling it with a club, he incurs a penalty of one stroke.
FREE RELIEF – If you want relief for your ball, it must be as per the rules of golf and/or if local rules apply; another player in your group should also witness the process, otherwise it is a foul shot and subject to penalty under the rules.
PUTTING OUT – If you are playing in the stroke competition and you want your score to count there are no “give me” puts, you must put out. There are never any “give-me” puts in any of the CMSG competitions allowed. The player may pick up the Ball only in Stableford competition.
CHANGING THE BALL ON THE GREEN – In regard to the question of changing the ball on the putting green all replies so far are negative. Therefore, you must play with the ball you start with unless you lose it or declare it unfit for play. If declare it unfit for play, you must give your marker or fellow-competitor an opportunity to examine the ball and observe the lifting and placing of the ball.
BALL UNFIT FOR PLAY (RULE 5-3) – A ball is unfit for play if it is visibly cut, cracked or out of shape. A ball is not unfit for play solely because mud or other materials adhere to it, its surface is scratched or scraped or its paint is damaged or discolored.
EMBEDDED (PLUGGED) BALL DEFINITION AND RULING (RULE 25-2) – A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground (except in Harzards) may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green.
PROVISIONAL BALL – A “provisional ball’’ is a ball played under Rule 27-2 for a ball that may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds.
CASUAL WATER – Casual water is any temporary accumulation of water on the course that is not in a water hazard and is visible before or after the player takes his stance. A ball is in casual water when it lies in or any part of it touches the casual water.
LOOSE IMPEDIMENTS (RULE 23) – You may move a loose impediment (i.e., natural loose objects such as stones, detached leaves and twigs) unless the loose impediment and your ball are in the same hazard. If you remove a loose impediment and this causes your ball to move, the ball must be replaced and (unless your ball was on the putting green) you incur a one-stroke penalty.
OBSTRUCTIONS – An “obstruction’’ is anything artificial, including the artificial surfaces and sides of roads and paths except:
- Objects defining out of bounds, such as walls, fences, stakes and railings.
- Any part of an immovable artificial object that is out of bounds.
- Any construction declared by the Committee to be an integral part of the course.
An obstruction is a movable obstruction if it can be moved without unreasonable effort, without unduly delaying play and without cause in damage. Otherwise, it is an immovable obstruction.
Note: The Committee may make a Local Rule declaring a movable obstruction to be an immovable obstruction.
MOVABLE OBSTRUCTIONS (RULE 24-1) – Movable obstructions (i.e., artificial movable objects such as rakes, bottles, etc.) located anywhere (except when in a water hazard) may be moved without penalty. If the ball moves as a result, it must be replaced without penalty. If a ball is in or on a movable obstruction, the ball may be lifted, the obstruction removed and the ball dropped, without penalty, on the spot directly under where the ball lay on the obstruction, except that on the putting green, the ball is placed on that spot.
IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTIONS AND ABNORMAL GROUND CONDITIONS (RULES 24-2 AND 25-1) – An immovable obstruction is an artificial object on the course that cannot be moved (e.g., a building) or cannot readily be moved (e.g., a firmly embedded direction post). Objects defining out of bounds are not treated as obstructions. An abnormal ground condition is casual water, ground under repair or a hole, cast or runway made by a burrowing animal, a reptile or a bird. Except when the ball is in a water hazard, relief without penalty is available from immovable obstructions and abnormal ground conditions when the condition physically interferes with the lie of the ball, your stance or your swing. You may lift the ball and drop it within one club-length of the nearest point of relief (see Definition of “Nearest Point of Relief”), but not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. If the ball is on the putting green, it is placed at the nearest point of relief, which may be off the putting green. There is no relief for intervention on your line of play unless both your ball and the condition are on the putting green. As an additional option when the ball is in a bunker, you may take relief from the condition by dropping the ball outside and behind the bunker under penalty of one stroke.
BALL UNPLAYABLE (RULE 28) – If your ball is in a water hazard and you do not wish to play it as it lies, you must proceed under the water hazard Rule – the unplayable ball Rule does not apply. Elsewhere on the course, if you believe your ball is unplayable, you may, under penalty of one stroke:
- Play a ball from where your last shot was played, or
- Drop a ball any distance behind the point where the ball lay keeping a straight line between the hole, the point where the ball lay and the s spot on which the ball is dropped, or
- Drop a ball within two club-lengths of where the ball lies not nearer the hole.
If your ball is in a bunker you may proceed as above, except that if you are dropping back on a line or within two club-lengths, you must drop a ball in the bunker.
NEAREST POINT OF RELIEF – Is the reference point for taking relief without penalty from interference by an immovable obstruction (Rule 24-2), an abnormal ground condition (Rule 25-1) or a wrong putting green (Rule 25-3). It is the point on the course nearest to where the ball lies:
- That is not nearer the hole, and where, if the ball were so positioned, no interference by the condition from which relief is sought would exist for the stroke the player would have made from the original position if the condition were not there.
Note: In order to determine the nearest point of relief accurately, the player should use the club with which he would have made his next stroke if the condition were not there to simulate the address position, direction of play and swing for such a stroke.
PHYSICAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE ELEMENTS (RULE 14-2 -a) – A player must not make a stroke while accepting physical assistance or protection from the elements.
STONES IN BUNKERS – Stones in bunkers are movable obstructions (Rule 24-1 applies), the Player can determine if the stone presents any danger for him or others, without consulting the fellow players. This local rule applies on all golf courses played in CMSG competitions”.
CADDIES CAN DO & CANNOT DO – Caddies are allowed to (can) mark, lift, clean and replace a player’s ball on the green. Additionally the player may also replace the ball even though the Caddy marked it. See USGA Rule Lifting and Marking 20-1, Placing and Replacing 20-3). Caddies cannot protect you from the elements; wind, rain, or sunshine while you are executing a shot or putting on the green. See USGA Physical Assistance From the Elements (Rule 14-2- a).
DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICES – The USGA and the R&A first allowed the use of distance-measuring devices in January 2006. Prior to this, while the use of yardage books was allowed, the use of distance-measuring devices was prohibited by Rule 14-3. The change introduced in 2006 permitted the committee in charge of a competition or course to introduce a local rule allowing distance-measuring devices. A very important provision of this permission is that the device must measure distance only; it must not measure other conditions such as wind speed or direction, the slope of the ground or the temperature. The Committee for the CMSG has approved the use of distance-measuring devices in all their competitions and sanctioned tournaments.
RULES QUESTIONS & DISPUTES DURING PLAY – If during a round there is a question regarding rules that cannot be resolved on the spot then the player will place a second ball in play. Both scores must be recorded and the rules dispute will then be brought to the attention of the “committee person” entering the scores so that a resolution can be determined.
PERMISSION TO REPAIR SPIKE MARKS – Adjustment to rule 16-1c, the CMSG are including the repair of spike marks on the green without penalty.
Local Rules @ LANNA Golf Course – Revision 20.02.17
Hole 6 – The waste area to the left of this fairway is not OB usual rules apply, if you cannot play out of the drain take a drop no closer to the hole for a penalty shot.
Holes 3, 7, & 11 – Bougainvillea Shrubs in centre of the fairways that are supported by cement stakes. A free drop may be taken only if a cement stake impedes your stance or swing – drop 1 club length away from the nearest point of relief, no nearer to the pin. If you believe that your ball may be lost inside the bush, then take a “provisional” shot from where you last hit.
Plugged Ball – Relief is allowable without penalty when ball is embedded anywhere on the course. The ball may be lifted, cleaned and dropped as near as possible to where it originally came to rest.
The Race Course (Course 3) – holes 6, 8 & 9. There are white stakes on the left of hole 6, on the right of hole 9 and on both sides of hole 8 that define the boundary between fairways. If your ball comes to rest on an adjoining fairway you must drop back onto your own fairway within 2 club lengths of the boundary no nearer to the hole for a penalty of 1 stroke.
Ant hills are considered to be “loose impediments” and may be removed if they impede stance of swing (Rule 32-1, Decision 23/5). There is no relief if your ball is touching an ant hill .
Hazards – many hazards do not have proper red of yellow markers. If your ball is lost in a hazard where markers are not well defined then please confer with the person marking your card regarding Decision 2a/4 below:
Lines and stakes defining the margins of a hazard should be placed as close as possible to the natural limits of the hazard – i.e. where the ground breaks down to form the depression. “If the hazard is not marked, players must determine the natural boundary and drop within 2 club lengths of it no nearer the pin”.
Local Rules @ MAE JO Golf Course
For a while now the Green and the fringe have been separated by a visible “cut”. If your Ball comes to rest on this “cut” you can move the Ball away from the “cut” not closer to Hole.
Hole 4 – The small trees with the white flowers in front of the Blue, Yellow and White Tee Marker is considered a hazard, a one-shot penalty and Tee up again from the Tee Box. The tree area down the left hand side of the fairway is not a hazard. The left side in front of the Red Tee marker all alongside the lake is OB and the OB starts with the fence.
Hole 5 – If your Ball goes into the right side of the cart path, play a provisional Ball, if you do not find your first Ball, play the provisional Ball. If you do not play a provisional Ball and you do not find your first Ball (lost Ball), apply the local rule (Lost Ball) for lost balls with a two-stroke penalty.
Hole 6 – If your Ball crosses over on the right side were the lake starts and all the way alongside were the new fence is built, it is considered that your Ball is in the Hazard. Even if you see or find your Ball on the right side of the fence, you are NOT allowed to play this Ball. You have to drop the Ball on the left side of the fence, not closer to the Hole, with one penalty shot.
Hole 12 – Free Drop (No penalty) 1 club lenght: When player’s ball lands in a drainage ditch in the tree area on the far-right side of the fairway. For clarification, this is the tree area that starts past the water hazard and also is approximately 10 meters from the right side of the cart path past the water hazard.
Hole 13 – The Out of Bounce has been changed closer to the cart path on the left. The OB starts where the signs are positioned (which is about 2 feet left of the car path).
Hole 13 – 14 – The big basin (red clay) on the right side coming up to the green on Hole # 13 is a lateral water hazard and in front of the Tee Box on # 14 is a water hazard. For Hole # 14 a Drop Zone is further up on left side before the green.
Hole 17 – 18 The tall Ornamental Grass on Hole # 17 and # 18 is not considered a Flowerbed. If your ball lands in this area and you are unable to play it as it lies, you can declare the Ball unplayable and take relief according to Rule 28.