Rules of Golf

THREE SETS OF RULES GOVERN PLAY: USGA RULES OF GOLF (usga.org/rules), CHARBONNEAU LOCAL RULES (detailed on score card) and USGA accepted local rule.

  1. Out of bounds and lost ball
    • Announce and play provisional ball. One stroke plus a penalty stroke
    • Local Rule – Two penalty strokes and you can estimate the spot where your ball is lost or went out of bounds and then drop in edge of fairway no closer to the hole from estimated spot of OB. You can drop a ball in the fairway within 2 club-lengths of that fairway edge point not nearer the hole than the estimated spot
    • One stroke and hit ball from place of previous shot (stroke and distance)
  2. Unplayable lie (can be declared anywhere on course by player except in a water hazard)
    • One stroke and replay from previous place (stroke and distance)
    • One stroke and drop two club lengths from ball no nearer the hole (lateral relief), club length is longest in bag except putter
    • One stroke and drop back-on-the-line as far back as desired
  1. Penalty areas (formerly water hazards – all lakes in Charbonneau)
    • One stroke and replay from tee (stroke and distance)
    • One stroke and drop back-on-the-line of flight as far back as desired
    • One stroke and use drop zone, if available
    • One stroke and take lateral drop no closer to the hole
  2. Bunker option (for unplayable lie)
    1. Unplayable lie
      • One stroke and take stroke and distance from previous place
      • One stroke and take back-on-the-line relief inside the bunker
      • One stroke and take lateral drop inside the bunker
      • Two strokes and take back-on-the-line relief outside the bunker
    2. Abnormal conditions
      • Free relief and move ball to the nearest point of relief in the bunker
      • One stroke and drop back-on-the-line of flight as far back as desired
  1. Grounding club in bunker
    • Two Strokes
  2. Obstruction interferes with stance or swing (includes cart path)
    • No penalty – move obstruction; if immovable drop within one club length no nearer to the hole
  3. Lost ball (see Out of Bounds)
  4. Hitting wrong ball
    • Two Strokes
  5. Ball moves accidently on putting green
    • No Penalty but must replace ball if accidently moved by player or opponent; if moved by natural forces/outside influences, play from new spot
  1. Embedded ball in general area or on Green
    • Free drop behind ball from rough or fairway within one club length no closer to hole, may mark ball and lift to see if it is embedded without alerting other players
    • No relief when ball is in the rough
  2. Substituting a ball
    • Player may swap a ball when teeing off
    • Player may swap a ball when taking relief under a rule
  3. Double hitting ball – twice with single stroke
    • No penalty
  4. Whiffing
    • If a player is intentionally swinging to hit the ball and misses, there is a one stroke penalty
  1. Dropping
    • Must be knee height
    • If the ball dropped rolls out of the relief area player must drop the ball again on the same spot that the previous drop landed in the relief area and if it again rolls out of the relief area the ball may be placed in the relief area
    • One stroke if dropping incorrectly inside relief area and continues to hit the ball
    • Two strokes if dropping incorrectly outside of relief area and continues to hit the ball
  2. Maximum score
    • Allows a player to pick up and take maximum score without penalty, Par+5
  3. Tee Markers – Charbonneau red for women
    • Ball must be between two markers
    • May tee ball up to two club lengths behind
    • Tee may not be in front of, foot can be
    • Two strokes for moving tee markers out of the way
  4. Search time for lost ball
    • 3 minutes maximum
  5. Flagstick
    • No penalty for flagstick being in or out of the hole while putting
  6. Cell Phones and Audio Devices
    • May listen to music in cart as long as it is not distracting to other players
    • Listening to music or other audio to eliminate distractions or to help with swing tempo such as with earbuds is NOT ALLOWED, resulting in: First warning = 2 strokes; Second warning = disqualification
    • Please be considerate to your fellow players

A revised local ruling will be implemented, at the suggestion of the OGA Rules Team, starting in March of 2024 for all Charboneau Men’s Golf Club events. Now known as the “Local Root Rule,” it will allow players, finding their golf ball in juxtaposition to an exposed tree root, to treat the situation as ground under repair.  This local rule can only be applied in the general area of the golf course that is cut to fairway height or less.  The ball may be lifted, cleaned, and then dropped within one club length, no closer to the hole, from its originally found position (See free relief procedure under Rule16.1b).  It will be the player’s responsibility to notify their playing partners of the situation before applying this rule.  Situations involving a ball on a root anywhere else in the general area of the course will be treated as “an unplayable ball.”  Either play the ball as it lies or take relief under Rule19.2 (one penalty stroke).

 

Submitted 4-22-2024

Mike Brown

Handicap Chair