Understanding What Are 'Local Rules' In Golf?

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

Transcript

00:00The question we're asking here is what is a local rule in golf? Now there are 24

00:04rules of golf. There are also local rules that apply either at certain courses or

00:09in certain competitions when conditions might require them. The RNA's website

00:14says a local rule is a modification of a rule or an additional rule that the

00:18committee adopts for general play or a particular competition. Probably the most

00:22familiar local rule that you will have played many times is preferred lies

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

00:31playing of the game during those months you're allowed to move your ball from

00:34where it was originally lying and place it within a specified area on the fairway.

00:39There are lots of local rules and you'll see them on the back of scorecards.

00:43Typically they'll cover things like exactly what is out of bounds. On this

00:48card here that I'm looking at it says on or over the the road to the left of the

00:53holes on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. So it's important to know that because if

00:58your ball is on the road you might be tempted to think that's an immovable

01:02obstruction. I get relief from that but in this specific example that rule is out

01:06of bounds so you would have no option but to go and replay again under penalty of

01:11stroke and distance. Another local rule that is fairly common but not everywhere

01:18I've got two cards here it's on one of them but not the other one is for when a

01:22sprinkler head lies between your ball and the flag on a direct route. Under the

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

01:33with your stance, your area of intended swing or where the ball is lying. This

01:40doesn't you have to really exaggerate it to try and pretend that that influenced

01:44your line of swing there. So under the rules of golf there is no relief from that

01:49and much as you would like to putt it perhaps you're gonna have to chip that

01:52probably. But there is a local rule available if the sprinkler head lies

01:57within two club lengths of the green and your ball lies within two club lengths of

02:02the sprinkler head directly on a line to the flag there is a local rule that would

02:06then allow you to take relief away from that so you could then putt if you really

02:10wanted to. We're not going to go into all the local rules here but the RNA's

02:15website does have a whole list of model local rules and it has the wording as

02:19well and committees are encouraged to use that wording whenever possible so that

02:23golfers get an idea that there's a degree of consistency between one club that

02:27has a local rule and another. So it's basically something to look out for on the

02:31back of a scorecard, on the club notice board, on a website or if you're playing in a

02:36competition on a handout that you might get when you sign in.