What Are 'Local Rules' In Golf?

In this video, Jeremy Ellwood answers the question: What Are 'Local Rules' In Golf?

Transcript

00:00 The question we are asking here is what is a local rule in golf.

00:03 Now there are 24 rules of golf.

00:05 There are also local rules that apply either at certain courses or in certain competitions

00:11 when conditions might require them.

00:13 The RNA's website says a local rule is a modification of a rule or an additional rule that the committee

00:18 adopts for general play or a particular competition.

00:22 Probably the most familiar local rule that you will have played many times is preferred

00:26 lies during the winter months when conditions aren't so great and to ensure the fair playing

00:31 of the game during those months you are allowed to move your ball from where it was originally

00:35 lying and place it within a specified area on the fairway.

00:41 There are lots of local rules and you will see them on the back of scorecards.

00:44 Typically they will cover things like exactly what is out of bounds.

00:48 On this card here that I am looking at it says on or over the road to the left of the

00:53 holes on the first, second, third, fourth and fifth.

00:56 So it is important to know that because if your ball is on the road you might be tempted

01:00 to think that is an immovable obstruction and I would get relief from that, but in this

01:03 specific example that rule is out of bounds so you would have no option but to go and

01:08 replay again under penalty of stroke and distance.

01:14 Another local rule that is fairly common, but not everywhere, I have got two cards here

01:19 it is on one of them, but not the other one is for when a sprinkler head lies between

01:25 your ball and the flag on a direct route.

01:29 Under the rules of golf you would only get relief from this if that actually interfered

01:34 with your stance, your area of intended swing or where the ball was lying.

01:40 This doesn't.

01:41 You would have to really exaggerate it to try and pretend that that influenced your

01:45 line of swing there.

01:47 So under the rules of golf there is no relief from that and much as you would like to putt

01:50 it perhaps you are going to have to chip that probably.

01:52 But there is a local rule available if the sprinkler head lies within two club lengths

01:59 of the green and your ball lies within two club lengths of the sprinkler head directly

02:03 on a line to the flag there is a local rule that would then allow you to take relief away

02:08 from that so you could then putt if you really wanted to.

02:11 We are not going to go into all the local rules here, but the RNA's website does have

02:15 a whole list of model local rules and it has the wording as well and committees are encouraged

02:21 to use that wording whenever possible so that golfers get an idea that there is a degree

02:25 of consistency between one club that has a local rule and another.

02:29 So it is basically something to look out for on the back of a scorecard, on the club notice

02:33 board, on a website or if you are playing in a competition on a handout that you might

02:38 get when you sign in.

02:39 [Music]