Help me write local rule

[Augster]

Hello,

 

We have a drainage pipe that goes all the way across both the 11 fairway and 15 fairway. The pipe is covered with dirt, and grass on top, but it is raised higher than the normal fairway height. When a ball rolls up to the pipe, it’ll stop at the base and the player will have an awkward follow through into the raised section. 
 

8.1a/7 says a player can probe the area ahead of his ball with a tee to see if he’ll actually strike pipe on his through swing. He won’t. I’ve probed every inch of both pipes. The pipe is at least 6 inches below grass and dirt. 
 

When our state association has events at our course, they surround both raised areas with white paint making it GUR. Our groundscrew isn’t going to mark it GUR every week, so we need a local rule. 
 

How can I write a local rule to make it GUR relief without any paint present. I was thinking:

 

”Any ball lying within 1CL of the raised pipe that crosses the fairway on hole 11 and 15 is considered in an abnormal course condition and the player may take relief as per Rule 16.1”. 
 

Is there a less wordy way to write it so that even the simpletons that play my course can understand it?

 

Thanks. 

[rogolf]

3 hours ago, Augster said:

Hello,

 

We have a drainage pipe that goes all the way across both the 11 fairway and 15 fairway. The pipe is covered with dirt, and grass on top, but it is raised higher than the normal fairway height. When a ball rolls up to the pipe, it’ll stop at the base and the player will have an awkward follow through into the raised section. 
 

8.1a/7 says a player can probe the area ahead of his ball with a tee to see if he’ll actually strike pipe on his through swing. He won’t. I’ve probed every inch of both pipes. The pipe is at least 6 inches below grass and dirt. 
 

When our state association has events at our course, they surround both raised areas with white paint making it GUR. Our groundscrew isn’t going to mark it GUR every week, so we need a local rule. 
 

How can I write a local rule to make it GUR relief without any paint present. I was thinking:

 

”Any ball lying within 1CL of the raised pipe that crosses the fairway on hole 11 and 15 is considered in an abnormal course condition and the player may take relief as per Rule 16.1”. 
 

Is there a less wordy way to write it so that even the simpletons that play my course can understand it?

 

Thanks. 

We have several similar situations on our course, maybe not quite as severe as you’ve described.  Our local Rule is “play hard”.

[antip]

It's always a policy choice about where you transition from "play hard" to relief. But, IMO, if it is appropriate for the biggest State events on the course, then it should be there for everyone else playing. Relief only for the elite events doesn't cut it for me.

 

16.1 relief is about interference (as defined in the rule), rather than location. So a possible stand alone LR could be along these lines:

 

"The drainage pipe and associated raised ground on the 11th and 15th holes is GUR. Relief is available for interference under Rule 16.1."

 

If you already have a GUR LR that lists the relevant conditions, you could just add "The drainage pipe and associated raised ground on the 11th and 15th holes."

 

Best not to mention "fairway" as it may some confuse some folk on whether ball at rest on closely mown or not is relevant - which is not generally the case with GUR (although tree roots relief is a common exception).

[Augster]

2 hours ago, antip said:

It's always a policy choice about where you transition from "play hard" to relief. But, IMO, if it is appropriate for the biggest State events on the course, then it should be there for everyone else playing. Relief only for the elite events doesn't cut it for me.

 

16.1 relief is about interference (as defined in the rule), rather than location. So a possible stand alone LR could be along these lines:

 

"The drainage pipe and associated raised ground on the 11th and 15th holes is GUR. Relief is available for interference under Rule 16.1."

 

If you already have a GUR LR that lists the relevant conditions, you could just add "The drainage pipe and associated raised ground on the 11th and 15th holes."

 

Best not to mention "fairway" as it may some confuse some folk on whether ball at rest on closely mown or not is relevant - which is not generally the case with GUR (although tree roots relief is a common exception).

Thanks for the help. I like your verbiage much better. 
 

And you’re correct, some of the pipe is in the rough and to even mention the fairway “could” confuse some to think only in the fairway. 
 

I think I’m taking your written LR word for word. I like the “associated raised ground”. No need to break out the club for measuring etc. Either it interferes with your lie, stance, or area of intended swing, or it doesn’t. 
 

The state association also circled tree stumps of trees we lost in the spring. If they are circling it making it GUR, should I also make “tree stumps” GUR?

 

They did a really good job of marking the course when they came through. 
 

Thanks for the help!

[Mr. Bean]

2 hours ago, Augster said:

The state association also circled tree stumps of trees we lost in the spring. If they are circling it making it GUR, should I also make “tree stumps” GUR?

 

 

Provided there is no possibility of confusion you can write simply that. If there is any doubt it could be worth defining the location of those tree stumps, eg. "left side of hole 8".

[rogolf]

8 hours ago, Augster said:

Thanks for the help. I like your verbiage much better. 
 

And you’re correct, some of the pipe is in the rough and to even mention the fairway “could” confuse some to think only in the fairway. 
 

I think I’m taking your written LR word for word. I like the “associated raised ground”. No need to break out the club for measuring etc. Either it interferes with your lie, stance, or area of intended swing, or it doesn’t. 
 

The state association also circled tree stumps of trees we lost in the spring. If they are circling it making it GUR, should I also make “tree stumps” GUR?

 

They did a really good job of marking the course when they came through. 
 

Thanks for the help!

We call tree stumps “short trees” with no free relief- both in provincial and National championships.   They are normally in places the ball shouldn’t be anyways. We have a strong reluctance to use white paint off closely-mown areas, ie, white paint minimalists. 

Edited August 16, 2024 by rogolf

[antip]

Tree stumps are diverse in their presentation and as they are normally not in the intended play area, the case for making them GUR is much less clear. If it is just a small tree now, with the ground around them similar to before they became a stump, I don't see a case for relief. But if remediation work or stump grinding has produced a significantly chewed up area that is going to be replanted, reseeded or mulched, there could be a case for transitional GUR. In sum, I'd want to understand the lay of the land before saying make it GUR and I'd be trying to get as many as possible into play as lies asap. 

[Mr. Bean]

42 minutes ago, antip said:

Tree stumps are diverse in their presentation and as they are normally not in the intended play area, the case for making them GUR is much less clear. If it is just a small tree now, with the ground around them similar to before they became a stump, I don't see a case for relief. But if remediation work or stump grinding has produced a significantly chewed up area that is going to be replanted, reseeded or mulched, there could be a case for transitional GUR. In sum, I'd want to understand the lay of the land before saying make it GUR and I'd be trying to get as many as possible into play as lies asap. 

 

I go along that and give an example.

 

On our course there were trees to be felled. As soon as that had been done the stumps were to be removed, that is, they were "under repair". As the work took several days (and preparing the ground weeks) and the starting date was unclear it would not have been incorrect to declare those stumps as GUR right from the beginning as the work to be done was without a precise schedule. Well, they were not but that is not important.

[Newby]

The Forestry Commission planted 10,000 trees about 30 years ago. Mainly on land that was not used for golf but was planned to be used in the future. Anticipated new fairways were not planted. After 10 years the trees were legally transferred to the club.

We now had freedom to thin them out. A few years later we decided to reconfigure the course. As a result the wooded areas were 'thinned out' to protect the growth of 'wanted' trees.  

This continues as work in progress. The individual targeted trees are felled and the stumps ground out, up to a day or two later. The resultant hole is made good and either seeded or turfed. 

The area is white lined and declared GUR from initial felling until the scar disappears or is determined not significantly to affect play.