Rules of Competition
Section I - Local Rules:
DROP AREAS:
Holes 1, 10, 13 – drop anywhere on the white tee box.
Hole 8 – the drop area is a circle with the sign at the
center and a 2 club radius.
Special Drops: Holes 9, 15 – if your ball enters a hazard immediately adjacent to a cart path and the correct drop is such that you will be dropping on the cart path, you may drop on the other side of the cart path within 1 club length of your nearest point of full relief of stance and swing. You are still required to take the penalty of one stroke for dropping out of a hazard.
ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS (ESAs):
Hazards as defined by yellow or red stakes with green tops,
green stakes, green paint, or fences with ESA signs attached. DO
NOT ENTER OR PLAY from ESA areas. You must take complete relief
for stance and swing from interference with the fence and any
vegetation within the ESA. The penalty for playing from an ESA
or contacting the fence or the vegetation within during a stroke
is 2 strokes or loss of hole in match play.
RAILROAD TIES:
No relief is granted for railroad ties as they are an integral
part of the golf course. Railroad ties within the margins of a
hazard (bunkers on hole 14) are deemed to be part of the hazard.
PACE OF PLAY:
It is the responsibility of each group to keep pace with the
group ahead. If your group is more than one complete hole behind
the group ahead, you may be warned. Subsequent penalties
include a 2 stroke penalty asked to pick up your ball and move
forward into position. "Player Assistants" have the authority to
keep play moving at proper pace for all players' enjoyment.
EMBEDDED BALL:
Anywhere "through the green" a ball which is embedded in it's
own pitch mark in the ground, except in loose sand, may be
lifted without penalty, cleaned and dropped as near as possible
to the spot where it lay, but not nearer the hole.
MEASURING DEVICES:
Players may obtain distance information by using a device that measures distance only and the device may be shared among players. Devices that measure wind and slope are prohibited.
CART PATHS:
A road or path which has been surfaced with anything artificial,
i.e. concrete, tar, wood chips, ash, etc. (including dirt paths
which are extensions of cart paths)
Relief: Stance and swing plus one club length. No
penalty.
NEWLY PLANTED, TRANSPLANTED OR YOUNG TREES:
Trees that are staked, wired, and/or marked with a ribbon.
Relief: Stance and swing plus one club length from stake,
wire, and/or tree. No penalty.
DOUBT AS TO PROCEDURE:
If a doubtful situation arises, complete the hole with two balls
after notifying your fellow-competitor of the ball you wish to
count if the Rules permit. Regardless of the outcome, even if
the same score is made with both balls, the situation must be
reported to the committee before turning in your score card.
Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
FAILURE TO HOLE OUT:
If a competitor fails to hole out at any hole and does not
correct his mistake before he makes a stroke on the next teeing
or, in the case of the last hole of the round, before he leaves
the putting green, he is disqualified.
TIES:
All first place ties, with the exception of the Club
Championship, the Member-Guest, and the Tournament of Champions
will be broken using the USGA recommended method:
When a first place tie exists, a
‘card’ playoff is done. The USGA recommended method is used in
which the winner is determined by the last 9, 6, 3, and 1 holes
and assuming that the last hole is #18. Fractional handicaps are
retained when making these comparisons. If this method fails to
produce a winner, the same process is used on the front nine. A
tie at that point will be decided by the flip of a coin.
All ties for other than first place are not broken; prize awards
and TOC points are combined and shared.
If at all practical, the Club Championship, the Member-Guest, and the Tournament of Champions ties for first place will be broken with a playoff as decided by the Committee based upon the availability of the golf course. If this is not practical, then the previously mentioned USGA recommended method will be used as a last remedy at the discretion of the Board. Any Board members involved in the potential playoff will not be allowed to participate in the decision.
Section II - Handicaps:
We do our best to see that all members of the club play to a valid handicap. The handicap chairman monitors score postings with the golf shop closely. A member’s score should be entered in the computer GHIN system immediately upon the completion of a round at Green Valley Ranch or within 7 days of the day you played at another course. We reserve the right to impose penalties to members who do not post scores.
Scores for all tournaments and league night play at Green Valley Ranch will be posted in the GHIN system by the tournament directors. You DO NOT post any scores in the GHIN system for any men’s club event. A simple rule to follow: if your score card is turned into the golf shop, do not post your score.
It is a requirement that you use the following table when adjusting your score before posting:
Section III- Men’s Club Eligibility:
Must be a member of the Men’s Club.
Must have USGA handicap maintained at GVR.
Club Championship: Must play in at least 2 tournaments.
Professionals (Matt, Steve, and Kenny) can play in match play, afternoon leagues, 666, Heaven and Hell, and the Tournament of Champions if they qualify. They will play from the black tees with a zero handicap.
