General Rules
- U.S.G.A. rules govern all play except as modified by these local rules.
- Play is from blue tees for all tournaments (Except for single player, weekend events specified for white tees on the bulletin board).
- When in doubt about a rule in stroke play only, a provisional ball may be played. Finish the hole with both balls and consult the committee.
- WATER HAZARD – Yellow stakes and lines.
- LATERAL HAZARD – Red stakes and lines.
- OUT OF BOUNDS - As defined by white stakes, white markings on fences and trees, and fences and rock walls defining property boundaries.
Winter Rules
- Through the green only (in the fairway or the fringe of the hole being played), after marking your ball, you are permitted to lift, clean, and place the ball within 1-club length of it's original position, no nearer the hole
- This is allowed once per stroke. Once the ball is placed it may not be re-lifted and re-placed.
- Failure to mark the original position before lifting it, such as rolling it with a club, is a 2-stroke penalty or loss of hole in match play.
Relief for Embedded Ball
- Cleaning Ball Rule 25-2 provides relief without penalty for a ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in any closely mown area through the green.
- On the putting green, a ball may be lifted and damage caused by the impact of a ball may be repaired (Rules 16-1b and c).
- When permission to take relief for an embedded ball anywhere through the green would be warranted, the following Local Rule is recommended: “Through the green, a ball that is embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground, other than sand, may be lifted without penalty, cleaned and dropped as near as possible to where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green.
- Exception: A player may not take relief under this Local Rule if it is clearly unreasonable for him to play a stroke because of interference by anything other than the condition covered by this Local Rule.
- Alternatively, conditions may be such that permission to lift, clean and replace the ball will suffice. In these circumstances, the following Local Rule is recommended: “(Specify area) a ball may be lifted, cleaned and replaced without penalty. Note: The position of the ball must be marked before it is lifted under this Local Rule — see Rule 20-1.
Penalty For Breach of Local Rule
Stroke Play = 2 strokes / breach
Match Play = Loss of hole
Use of Distance Measuring Devices
For play in Sterling Farms Men's Club events, a player may obtain distance information by using a device that measures distance only.
However, if, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device that is designed to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g., gradient, wind-speed, temperature, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3, for which the penalty is disqualification, regardless of whether any such additional functions are actually used.
Immovable Obstructions
A player may obtain relief (nearest point of relief) from obstructions only if obstruction interferes with lie, stance, or area of intended swing.
- Buildings (except buildings that define out of bounds)
- bridges (outside of hazard)
- cart paths
- all flower gardens
- newly planted (staked) trees
- ball washers, drinking fountains
- tree wells
- trap rock drainage areas
- maintenance equipment
Hole-By-Hole Rules
| Hole | Rules |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ditch on left after sand trap is a LATERAL HAZARD. |
| 2 | Ditch on left side is a LATERAL HAZARD. No relief from swale in rough. |
| 3 | Pond on right is a LATERAL HAZARD. |
| 4 | Out of bounds to left of pond and as defined by white stakes and white markings on trees. There are drop areas for each pond if ball goes in water. Drop ball then place. |
| 5 | Pond on left and behind green is a LATERAL HAZARD. |
| 7 | Ditch on right and left of green is a LATERAL HAZARD. |
| 8 | Ditch on left is a LATERAL HAZARD. |
| 9 | Relief from lines supporting driving range fence. Out of bounds on left as defined by driving range and parking lot and behind green. |
| 10 | Out of bounds on left as defined by white stakes, walls of buildings, and white markings on trees. |
| 11 | Left side is a LATERAL HAZARD as defined by red stakes and lines. Drop is permitted two club-lengths to the right side of the cart path. Ditch in front of green is a WATER HAZARD as defined by yellow stakes and lines. |
| 12 | Left side is a LATERAL HAZARD as defined by red stakes and lines. |
| 13 | Left side is a LATERAL HAZARD as defined by red stakes and lines. Out of bounds on right as defined by white stakes and white markings on trees. |
| 14 | No out of bounds. Stakes on right apply to 13th hole only. |
| 16 | Cemetery and walls of cemetery are out of bounds. White stakes on right define out of bounds. Relief from drainage ditch in front of cemetery. |
| 18 | Left fence and stone wall out of bounds as marked. Stone wall behind green is out of bounds. |
Tie Breakers
Occasionally during our weekend events, tournaments or qualifiers we come accross a tie. The following is the standard we always follow in determining the winner. Please note that ties during the Club Championship have their own procedure which you can find here. We use step 1. If there is still a tie we then use step 2. We keep going until there is a winner. The steps are as follows:
- Score from back nine (holes 10 to 18)
- Score from last six holes (holes 13 to 18)
- Score from last 3 holes (holes 16 to 18)
- Score from front nine (holes 1 to 9)
- Score from last six holes on the front (holes 4 to 9)
- Score from last 3 holes on the front (holes 7 to 9)
- Score from the 18th hole
- Coin Toss
