CORONADO MEN’S CLUB LOCAL RULES

Play is governed by the current USGA rules of golf, the following Local Rules subject to amendments by the Coronado Men’s Club Rules Committee.

Unless otherwise noted, the penalty for breach of a Local Rule is:  Match Play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes.

Penalty Areas Marked Red – Where a curb defines the margin of the red penalty areas on holes #8 & #9, the course side edge of the curb defines the margin of the red penalty area.

DROP ZONE ON HOLE #9 – If a ball is in or it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in the penalty area on hole #9 the player may:

  1. Proceed under Rule 17.1; or
  2. As an additional option, drop a ball, under penalty of one stroke, in the drop zone marked on that hole.

RED PENALTY AREA #16; BALL PLAYED PROVISIONALLY UNDER RULE 18.3

If a player does not know whether his or her ball is in the penalty area to the right of hole #16, the player may play a provisional ball under Rule 18.3, which is modified in this way:

When Original Ball is Found in the Penalty Area Within Three-Minute Search Time, The player may choose either to:

  1. Continue to play the original ball as it lies in the penalty area, in which case the provisional ball must not be played. All strokes with that provisional ball before it was abandoned (including strokes made and an penalty strokes solely from playing that ball) do not count, or
  2. Continue to play the provisional ball in which case the original ball must not be played.

When Original Ball is Not Found Within Three – Minute Search Time or is Known or Virtually Certain to Be in Penalty Area.  The provisional ball becomes the player’s ball in play.

OUT OF BOUNDS – Out of bounds is defined by inside points, at ground level, of white stakes and boundary fences.  A ball that comes to rest in the driving range is out of bounds.

OUT OF BOUNDS STAKES – The out of bounds stakes to the left of #13 and to the left of #17 mark the out of bounds for hole #17 only.  The out of bounds stakes to the right of hole #12 and to the right of hole #13 mark the out of bounds for hole #13 only.  If any of these stakes interfere with the players stance or swing while playing the hole that the stakes do not mark the out of bounds for that hole, they are obstructions and relief is permitted under Rule 16.1.

GROUND UNDER REPAIR – Defined by white lines.  French drains are deemed to be ground under repair. White lined areas tying into cart paths (hole #8 for example) have the same status as the roads and paths, that of obstructions. The Tennis Courts to the right of hole #15 are to be treated as ground under repair and Rule 16.1 applies.

AERATION HOLES – Through the green, a ball that comes to rest in or on an aeration hole may be lifted, without penalty, cleaned and dropped, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. On the putting green, a ball that comes to rest in or on an aeration hole may be placed at the nearest spot not nearer the hole that avoids the situation.

SEAMS OF CUT TURF (SOD SEAMS) – Through the green, seams of cut turf (not the turf itself) are deemed to be ground under repair.  However, interference by a seam with the player’s stance is deemed not to be, of itself, interference under Rule 16.1.  If the ball lies in or touches the seam or the seam interferes with the arc of intended swing, relief is available under Rule 16.1.

OBSTRUCTIONS – The concrete curbs surrounding the flowerbed to the right of hole #8 and the stakes and wires which are sometimes installed around and over the red penalty areas between holes #8 and #9 are immovable obstructions.  If your ball is in the red penalty area, relief without penalty from these obstructions is not permitted.  If your ball is outside the red penalty area and these obstructions interfere with your stance or area of intended swing, relief without penalty is permitted under Rule 16.1.

SPRINKLER HEADS – Relief from sprinkler heads near the putting green is available under Rule 16.1b if a sprinkler head is:

  1. On the line of play, and is:
    1. Within two club-lengths of the putting green, and
    2. Within two club-lengths of the ball.

TREE ROOTS – To prevent potential injury from tree roots anywhere on Coronado golf course (fairway or rough), a player may take free relief under Rule 16.1b (abnormal course condition – nearest point of relief within the same course condition of the original ball ) ONLY IF:

    – the club head (not stance) has direct swing interference from a tree root

    – ball is not against or near the base of a tree trunk (no free relief from trees)

    – ball is not in a penalty area (bunkers and marked hazards, no free relief).


WOOD CHIPS AND MULCH –
They are loose impediments, unless otherwise provided for by the rules committee.

FENCES – All protective fences near the teeing grounds on holes 6, 10, 11, and 12, and the driving range fence to include the concrete footings supporting the fence are Integral Objects and relief without penalty is not permitted.

ALTERNATIVE TO STROKE AND DISTANCE FOR LOST BALL OR BALL OUT OF BOUNDS

For two penalty strokes, the player may take relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in this relief area (see Rule 14.3):

Two Estimated Reference Points:

  1. Ball Reference Point: The point where the original ball is estimated to have:
    1. Come to rest on the course, or
    2. Last crossed the edge of the course boundary to go out of bounds.
  2. Fairway Reference Point: The point of fairway of the hole being played that is nearest to the ball reference point, but not nearer the hole than the ball reference point.

For purposes of this Local Rule, “fairway” means any area of grass in the general area that is cut to fairway height or less.

If a ball is estimated to be lost on the course or last crossed the edge of the course boundary short of the fairway, the fairway reference point may be a grass path or a teeing ground for the hole being played cut to fairway height or less.

Size of Relief Area Based on Reference Points: Anywhere between:

  1. A line from the hole through the ball reference point (and within two club-lengths to the outside of that line), and
  2. A line from the hole through the fairway reference point (and within two club-lengths to the fairway side of that line).

But with these limits:

Limits on Location of Relief Area:

  1. Must be in the general area, and
  2. Must not be nearer the hole than the ball reference point.

Once the player puts a ball in play under this Local Rule:

  1. The original ball that was lost or out of bounds is no longer in play and must not be played.
  1. This is true even if the ball is found on the course before the end of the three-minute search time (see Rule 6.3.b).

But the player may not use this option to take relief for the original ball when:

  1. That ball is known or virtually certain to have come to rest in a penalty area, or
  2. The player has played another ball provisionally under penalty of stroke and distance (see Rule 18.3).

A player may use this option to take relief for a provisional ball that has not been found or is known or virtually certain to be out of bounds.

18th Hole Dirt Path – on right side of the fairway next to the red stake penalty area

Local Rule Regarding the Dirt Path Next to the Penalty Area on hole 18.

The Committee has chosen to treat the dirt path next to the penalty area that runs along the right side of the 18th hole as an IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTION (see description below). There are two situations that may occur here.

1. The ball comes to rest on the obstruction (the dirt path). The player can play the ball as it lies or take complete free relief from the obstruction by finding the reference point that is the nearest point of relief on the course side of the obstruction, and dropping the ball within one club length of the reference point not nearer the hole.( where the grass begins )
2. The ball is known or virtually certain to have gone into the penalty area. With a 1 stroke penalty, the player shall estimate the reference point that the ball entered the penalty area and take relief by dropping the ball within two club lengths of the reference point not nearer to the hole which will result in the ball coming to rest on the obstruction (dirt path). From there the player has the two options as described in paragraph 1 above to proceed.

Description of IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTION: The obstruction begins where the grass ends and the dirt path begins on the right side of the hole and ends where the dirt path connects with the paved cart path on the right side and behind the 18th green.

CMGC Rules Committee