Costa Mesa Seniors Golf Association
USGA Rules of Golf and the following Local Rules govern all play:
Out of Bounds is defined by the inside points at ground level of white stakes and perimeter and driving range fences. A ball is out of bounds when ALL of it is out of bounds.
Lost Ball is a ball that is not found within three minutes from when the search starts.
Options for Lost Ball or Ball Out of Bounds - Penalty may be stroke and distance or, if no provisional ball is played, for a two stroke penalty, a player may elect to drop and play from a place no closer to the hole, from a defined relief area. The relief area is determined by identifying two estimated reference points (ball and fairway). The ball reference point is where the ball is estimated to be or where the ball last crossed the course boundary. The fairway reference point is the closest point on the fairway to the ball reference point, no nearer to the hole. The relief area is formed between two lines extending from the hole through these points and enlarged by two club lengths on either side. The area must be no nearer to the hole than the ball reference point. This second option may not be taken if the location of the ball is not certain or virtually certain, if the ball is in a penalty area, or if a provisional ball has been played.
Yellow Penalty Area is defined by yellow stakes (Hole #8, both courses, Los Lagos). (A ball in a yellow penalty area penalty is one stroke, with options to replay from the original ball spot, to drop any distance behind the hazard, in line with the entry point and the hole, or to drop in a designated drop area).
Red Penalty Area is defined by red stakes. (Same as yellow penalty area, plus the option to drop within two club lengths of the entry point, no closer to the hole.)
Ground Under Repair is defined by white lines or roped stakes. (No penalty to drop within one club length from the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole.) Flower Beds are played as ground under repair. Bunkers special rule: A player whose ball lies on disturbed sand within a bunker, may lift the ball, repair the sand, and replace the ball in the same location without penalty.
Abnormal Ground Condition: A ball in play on a grassless bare patch on the fairway may be lifted, cleaned and dropped within one club length of the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole. This relief does not apply to stance on bare ground. This rule shall apply to competitions on Mesa Linda and Los Lagos, until further notice, pending resolution of these conditions. This relief does not apply to balls in divot holes.
Obstructions include all service roads (regardless of surface), cart paths, extensions of cart paths, drains, sprinkler heads, stakes, staked trees, unattended course equipment, interior fences and buildings. (Relief allowed for lie, stance and area of intended swing, with no penalty to drop within one club length from the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole.) Perimeter and driving range fencing and stakes are not obstructions in this sense. (For relief from a perimeter fence or stake, the ball is declared unplayable, the penalty is one stroke, with options to replay from the original ball spot, to drop any distance behind the unplayable spot, in line with the spot and the hole, or to drop within two club lengths of the spot, no closer to the hole.)
Interference from Tree Roots entitles limited free relief for lie and stance. The relief area must remain in line with the hole and is one club length from the location of the ball.
Aeration Holes – A ball that comes to rest in the general area or putting green, on an aeration hole, may be placed on the nearest spot, not nearer the hole, that avoids the situation. This relief does not apply to stance on aeration holes.
Obstructions Close to the Putting Green: Relief from an immovable obstruction is permitted when the obstruction lies within two club lengths of the green, and the ball lies within two club lengths of the obstruction, and there is interference to stance or along the line of play from the ball to the hole. (No penalty, drop no closer to the hole and not onto green)
Disqualification may occur for failure to check-in 20 minutes prior to the scheduled tee time, failure to submit an attested scorecard, or severely slow play, at the discretion of the Tournament Chairman.
Golfer Responsibility: Golfers are responsible for injury to persons or damage to property that they cause while participating in golf events.
Failure to Hole Out may be a cause for disqualification in some stroke play prize competitions. In some formats, when additional strokes will not contribute to the score, the ball may be picked up before holing out. The player should then post his most likely score on the hole.
Common USGA Rules Issues Explained:
1. Play the ball as it lies (except when embedded or abnormal ground condition). Rule 9
2. Don’t move, bend, or break anything except in fairly taking your stance and swing. Rule 8-1
3. You can move man-made objects. For immovable objects you get one club length of the nearest point of relief, not nearer to the hole. Rules 15 & 16
4. In a bunker, do not ground your club in front of or behind the ball. It’s a two stroke penalty. Rule 12-2
5. If you hit into a penalty area, either play from there, drop behind the hazard, or play from where you hit it originally. If you hit into a red penalty area, you may also drop within two club lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the penalty area margin. One stoke penalty. Rule 17
6. If you hit your ball OB or lose it, hit another ball from where you are. One stoke penalty. Announce and play a provisional ball without delay, if you are not sure about your ball. Rule 18 A new local rule allows a two stroke penaly and a drop no closer to the hole than where the ball went OB. Local Rule E
7. If you have an unplayable lie, you may drop two club lengths, not closer to the hole, or any distance behind the unplayable lie, keeping it between you and the hole. One stroke penalty. Rule 19
8. You may not kill time by hitting balls while waiting to make your next shot, except between holes. Two stoke penalty. Do not delay your group or the following group to practice. Rule 5-5
MESA LINDA 8TH HOLE -- Relief for Ball in the Penalty Area
The lake in front of and to the right of the eighth green is no longer a yellow penalty area (yellow stakes). It is now a red penalty area (red stakes) and therefore, dropping of the ball within two club lengths of the spot you last crossed the hazard is available to you.
If you hit a ball into the water from the tee box, you may:
1) Tee up another ball from the tee box and hit your third shot.
2) Go to the drop area and hit your third shot
3) Drop a ball on the line between the pin and the spot you last crossed the hazard and play your third shot.
4) Find the ball in the hazard and play your second shot from within the hazard.
If you hit the ball into the water from the bunker or area to the left or rear of the 8th green:
1) Drop the within two club lengths of the spot where the penalty are was entered, no closer to the hole (one stroke penalty)
2) Drop ball at original spot and “replay” the shot (one stroke penalty)
3) Drop ball on other side of the water on line between pin and the spot you last crossed the hazard (toward 7th fairway) (one stroke penalty)
4) Find the ball in the hazard and play shot (no penalty)
5) Go to the drop area and play from there (one stroke penalty)
Local Rule -- Service Road as Obstruction -- Relief Clarification:
A ball that comes to rest on one of the service roads that run parallel to the fairway or to the rear of the green. This condition occurs on several holes on both Los Lagos and Mesa Linda. Some of the holes (not a complete list) that have these service roads are Mesa Linda 4, 5, 7, 14 and Los Lagos 2, 5, 11, 13, and 15. All players will be allowed to take relief from all service roads whether or not they are artificially surfaced. Your relief will consist of a free drop within one club length of the nearest point of relief of lie and stance, not nearer the hole.
The procedure should be:
1) is the ball in bounds?
2) is the ball or my stance on the road?
If the answer to both questions is yes, you are entitled to relief!
Local Rule -- Relief from Tree Roots -- Reason and Application
While this rule is not compliant with USGA Rules, it remains a local rule with our Club for the purpose of avoiding player injury, which could result from striking a root. This rule was modified to only allow a drop on a line away from the pin, to minimize improvement in the line of play.
Local Rule -- Abnormal Ground Condition -- Reason and Application
A number of fairways contain significant patches of bare ground. Ideally, a Tournament Committee would examine the course and mark such areas with white paint as ground under repair prior to play.. As this is not practical, we trust that competitors will apply this rule in a manner that is fair to the competition. It is not intended to correct every bad lie on the fairway. This rule applies only to balls on the fairway. The Tournament Director may declare before the start of a tournament, that playing conditions warrant the option to lift, clean and place balls in play between the tee and the green, and not in a hazard.
Local Rule -- Bunkers: There is an expectation for a player to repair sand in a bunker after playing from the bunker. As this is so often not the case, this special rule allows relief. A player whose ball lies on disturbed sand within a bunker, may lift the ball, repair the sand, and replace the ball in the same location without penalty.
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