Rules and Etiquette

Water Hazard (rule 26):
If your ball is in a water Hazard (yellow stakes) you may play the ball as it lies or, under penalty of one stroke

• P    Play a ball from where you hit the ball into the hazard.
• P    Drop any distance behind the water keeping a straight line between the hole and where the ball crossed the margin of the water hazard and the spot on which the ball is dropped. 

If your ball is in a lateral water hazard (red stakes) in addition to the options above, under penalty of one stroke, you may drop within 2 club lengths of, and not closer to the hole than:

• P    The point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard.
• P    A point on the opposite side of the hazard equidistant to the hole from the point where the ball last crossed the margin.

Ground under repair (GUR) is any part of the course so marked by order of the committee or declared by an authorized representative. All ground, and any grass, bush, tree or other growing thing within the GUR are part of the GUR. GUR includes material piled for removal and a hole made by a green keeper, even if not so marked. Grass cuttings and other material left on the course that have been abandoned are not intended to be removed are not GUR unless so marked. 

When the margin of GUR is defined by stakes, the stakes are inside of the GUR and so the margin of the GUR is defined by the nearest outside points of the stakes at ground level. When both stakes and lines are used to indicate the GUR the stakes indentify the GUR and the lines define the margin of the GUR, when the margin of ground under repair is defined by a line on the ground, the line itself is in the GUR, The margin of the GUR extends vertically downwards but not upwards.

A ball is in GUR when it lies in or any part of it touches the GUR.
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Course Conditions – Mud, Extreme Wetness, Poor Conditions and Protection of Course:
a. Lifting an Embedded Ball, Cleaning Temporary conditions that might interfere with proper playing of the game, including mud and extreme wetness, warranting relief for an embedded ball anywhere through the green or permitting lifting, cleaning and replacing a ball anywhere through the green or on a closely-mown area through the green.

B. “Preferred Lies” and “Winter Rules”
Adverse conditions, including the poor condition of the course or the existence of mud, are sometimes so general, particularly during winter months that the Committee may decide to grant relief by temporary Local Rule either to protect the course or to promote fair and pleasant play. The Local Rule should be withdrawn as soon as the conditions warrant.
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Casual Water:
“Casual water’’ is any temporary accumulation of water on the course that is not in a water hazard and is visible before or after the player takes his stance. Snow and natural ice, other than frost, are either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player. Manufactured ice is an obstruction. Dew and frost are not casual water. A ball is in casual water when it lies in or any part of it touches the casual water..
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Loose Impediment:
You may remove a loose impediment (i.e. natural loose objects such as stones, detached leaves and twigs) unless the loose impediment and your ball are in the same hazard. If you remove a loose impediment and this causes your ball to move, the ball must be replaced and (unless you ball was on the putting green) you incur a one stroke penalty.
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Movable Obstructions:
Movable Obstructions (i.e. artificial movable objects such as rakes, tin cans, etc.) located anywhere may be moved without penalty. If the ball moves as a result, it must be replaced without penalty.
If a ball is on a movable obstruction, the ball may be lifted, the obstruction removed and the balled dropped, without penalty, on the spot directly under where the ball lay on the obstruction, except that on the putting green, the ball is placed on the spot.
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Pace of Play:
Players should play at a good pace. It is a group’s responsibility to keep up with the group in front. If it loses a clear hole and it is delaying the group behind, it should invite the group behind to play through, irrespective of the number of players in the group. Where a group has not lost a clear hole, but it is apparent that the group behind can play faster, it should invite the faster moving group to play through.
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Lost Ball:
If a player believes his ball may be lost outside a water hazard or is out of bounds, to save time, he should play a provisional ball.

Players searching for a ball should signal the players in the group behind them to play through as soon as it becomes apparent that the ball will not easily be found. They should not search for five minutes before doing so. Having allowed the group behind to play through, they should not continue play until that group has passed and is out of range.
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Bunkers:
Before leaving a bunker, players should carefully rake and smooth over all holes and footprints made by them and any nearby marks made by others.
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Repair of Divots, Ball Marks and Damage by Shoes:
Players should carefully replace all divots, and repair pitch marks made by balls landing on the putting surface. A simple pitch mark repair will heal the green in days which if left uncorrected will take weeks to return to its previous state. This will have a big impact on the condition of the greens and the quality of the roll of the ball.