Linda celebrating her chip-in!

General Golf Rules

Tee Time Arrival. Plan to arrive at the club 20 minutes prior to your tee time and at the first tee box 10 minutes prior. A late arrival will result in a self-monitored penalty of 2 strokes. Members of the late arrival’s group should not wait to tee off but should instead begin at the appointed time.

Nine Stroke Limit. Except for all tournament weeks, scores shall not exceed 9 on any of the 9 holes. Exception: Establishing members need to record every stroke until their handicap is established, as do all members on the 11 tournament weeks in a season.

Putts will not be recorded for that day after 9 strokes are reached on any hole. Golfer can pick up the ball after 9 strokes, not finish that hole, and take a 9 for the score.

Perimeter or Boundary Fences. No relief is given. A ball outside the fence is out-of-bounds and considered out of play. A new ball must be played from the location where the out-of-bounds ball was hit and a ONE STROKE PENALTY IS APPLIED. Declare and play a provisional ball if there is a question. A ball inside the fence may be moved if necessary, with a ONE STROKE PENALTY – see UNPLAYABLE LIE and WINTER RULES.

Horizontal and Lateral Hazards. A horizontal hazard is one that must be crossed to reach the green and is marked by yellow stakes.

If your ball enters the horizontal hazard, your options are: a) Replay from where ball last hit, or b) keeping the point where the ball entered the hazard between you and the hole, drop on that line as far back as you wish to go.

A lateral hazard is one that runs alongside the fairway and is identified by red stakes. In addition to (a) and (b) above, you may also use option (c) drop a ball within two club lengths from where you entered the hazard.

ALL OPTIONS ABOVE ARE TAKEN UNDER PENALTY OF ONE STROKE AND ARE ALWAYS TAKEN NO CLOSER TO THE HOLE.

Unplayable Lie

A player can declare her ball unplayable anywhere on the course, except in a water hazard, with a ONE STROKE PENALTY. Options for relief are:

Play the ball as closely as possible to where it was last hit.
Drop a ball within two club lengths from where the ball lies, no closer to the hole.
Drop the ball anywhere behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that spot directly between you and the flagstick.

Immovable Obstruction

There is no penalty for relief when a ball is too near or on a manmade obstruction. The ball may be dropped from the nearest point of relief using THE PLAYER'S STANCE PLUS ONE CLUB LENGTH, always no nearer the hole. For example: benches, ball washers, irrigation control boxes, inside screening, driving range fence and cables, cart paths, man-made retaining walls.

Drop Procedures

Always mark the original position of a ball prior to taking relief. Determine nearest point of relief and measure allowable distance, e.g., stance plus one club length. The ball must be dropped within that area, no closer to the hole. When you drop the ball, drop from knee-height with arm extended. If the ball doesn't stop in the allowed area after two drops, it may be placed by hand.

Playing Wrong Ball

There is a TWO-STROKE PENALTY for playing the wrong ball. Always check your ball for identifying markings or numbers.

Provisional Ball

You may play a provisional ball for one which may be out of bounds or lost, after announcing your intentions. It should be played before you go forward to search for the original ball. You may play your provisional ball until you reach the place where the original ball is likely to be. If you make a stroke with the provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole then that place, the original ball is lost and the provisional ball becomes the ball in play under a one stroke penalty. (Clarification: you hit the provisional ball and it only goes a few feet … you can keep hitting it and counting the strokes until you reach the point where the original ball went, no further. Then if the original ball is not found the provisional ball is the ball in play with the strokes incurred to that point plus a 1 stroke penalty.)

Embedded Ball

When soft ground conditions cause a ball to be lost and all players on a team agree that it should be, but cannot be found in a particular area, a player may drop a new ball without penalty.

Tee Area

The tee area is defined by the two markers and extending two club lengths behind the markers to form a rectangle. A player who places the tee outside these boundaries incurs a TWO-STROKE PENALTY.

Whiff

Each swing taken which misses the ball counts as one stroke.