RULES INCLUDING PIGS LOCAL RULES
4. NO PENALTY FOR DOUBLE HITS. Accidentally hitting the ball twice just counts as one stroke. It is not a one stroke penalty anymore. You're also not penalised if your ball is accidentally deflected by you or your own equipment.
5. DROP FROM KNEE HEIGHT. The reduction from shoulder height is designed to lessen the chance of the ball bouncing and rolling out of the relief area.
6. NO PENALTY IF YOUR BALL MOVES ON THE GREEN. There is no penalty unless it is virtually certain you caused it to move on purpose.
7. CLEAR THE LINE. You are now allowed to touch the line of your putt and can repair spike marks and other damage on the green.
8. ON THE GREENS. You must always putt out on Society Days, Winter League, Summer League and Tour events.
9. GREEN FLAGS. During the Covid pandemic ONLY, the Green Flags remain in the hole at all times and must not be removed. You will need to see your ball putted out at all times.
10. BALL IDENTIFICATION. Balls should always be clearly marked so as to individually identify your ball on the course. Balls should not be lifted to be identified. If you need to identify the ball, then ball should be gently turned, without lifting, oscillating the ball. If for any reason there is a need to lift and identify the ball, your playing partner should action the process. If Local Rules are in place to Lift, Clean and Replace your ball (normally on the fairways only) then the ball should be marked and replaced within 6 inches of the marker.
11. BUNKERS. Due to the lack of raking in Bunkers (In particular during the Pandemic when there are no rakes!) you can pick up your ball, smooth over the sand with your club, and replace your ball within 6 inches of where your ball was originally found. No penalty.
12. RESULT CARDS. Result cards must be checked and signed by the marker and player before handing in for ALL PIG COMPETITIONS. (Does not apply during Covid Restrictions)
PREFERRED LIES
This topic involves preferred lies and other types of relief for abnormal course conditions. Courses are likely to allow preferred lies until the end of April, but check at the course when you arrive. A preferred lie can only be taken on the fairway (and other areas of the course that are cut to fairway length or less). It does not apply to rough/semi-rough, or penalty areas, bunkers and the green. If taking a preferred lie, you should mark the ball position before lifting, then place (not drop) the ball within 6 inches but no closer to the hole. You can clean the ball prior to placing but once it is placed it is in play.
In addition, you can get relief for an embedded (plugged) ball, anywhere in the general area of the course (fairway, rough, fringe), but not penalty areas and bunkers. A ball is only embedded if:
· It’s in its own pitch-mark and that was made as a result of that player’s last stroke and…
· Part of the ball is below the level of the ground (so there is a dimple in the soil beneath the ball).
If it’s sitting down in the grass, but no part of the ball is below that level, it’s not embedded.
If the ball is deemed to be embedded, mark the position, lift, clean if required, then drop (from the knee) within 1 club length no closer to the hole.
You can also get relief from standing water. If your ball lands in standing water (due to rainfall for instance) in the general area of the course (fairway, rough, fringe), or you would be standing in the water when taking your stance, then you can move the ball to the nearest point of relief (which needs its own topic) without penalty.
Note that you cannot get relief from spongy or muddy ground, it has to be visible water.
You cannot lift and clean your ball unless you are given relief, or you are taking a penalty drop. You are allowed to lift the ball if absolutely necessary to identify it, but you cannot clean the ball and it must be replaced in exactly the same position. You should do this with a playing partner.
Explanation of when to take one club-length or when to take two club-lengths when taking relief or penalty drop.
When you are entitled to free relief it is one club-length and when you incur a penalty it is two club-lengths.
To expand on this, when you take free relief under the Rules, you must drop within one club-length of the “reference point” / “the nearest point of relief”, but no nearer to the hole. Examples are:
· The player may take relief from immovable obstructions (ie. Cart path).
· The player may take relief from abnormal ground conditions (e.g. casual water or ground under repair).
· Local Rule may give relief from environmentally-sensitive areas, so as to protect them.
· Local Rule may give relief from young (usually staked) trees, so as to protect them.
· If a player’s ball lies on a wrong putting green, he must take relief,
Note: In these five situations the player must first identify the “nearest point of relief” from where the ball lies (perhaps use a tee peg to identify this point). The player then lifts their ball and drops it, without penalty, within one club-length of, and not nearer the hole than, the nearest point of relief (identified by the tee peg).
If taking relief in a bunker, the nearest point of relief must still be in the bunker.
Whereas, when you are taking a penalty drop, e.g. from an unplayable lie, or in taking relief from a lateral (red stakes) water hazard, you must drop within two club-lengths from the reference point, not nearer the hole. Examples are:
· In taking relief from a lateral water hazard (red posts), under penalty of one stroke, the player may take the option of dropping a ball outside the hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.
· Having deemed their ball unplayable, under penalty of one stroke, the player may take the option of dropping their ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole.
Note that a club-length can be the length of the longest club that you are carrying in your bag (excluding putter), which typically is a driver. However, there is nothing in the Rules that says that you must use the club to accurately measure the distance. Providing it is obvious that you have dropped the ball within the required area, the drop is valid and the ball is in play.
