THE GUYS G0LF RULES

 

Updated 12/4/2013

 

INTRODUCTION: The Guys Golf Rules are not intended to cover all areas of the game or substitute for the official USGA rules.  Their purpose is to address areas where our rules differ from the USGA’s (because the official rules are needlessly harsh or irrational), or to clarify those rules or our application of them. 

 

Changes, additions or modifications to The Guys Golf Rules may be suggested by any player at any time.  The rules custodian will draft the suggested change and put it out in draft form for comment by all players.  At his discretion, he may first consult with the Executive Committee to discuss the proposal before circulating it for wider comment.  Changes will be adopted by general consensus. 

 

The categories are listed in alphabetical order, not in order of importance, with the exception of the Miscellaneous category which is listed last.


 

COURSE RECORDS

 

  1. A list of documented course records will be maintained on the official Guys website: http://www.crsturner.com/guyscourserecords.html   To be “documented”,  the round must have been  witnessed by, or played in a round/outing which includes, a regular or occasional player in Guys golf events.  

 

  1. To qualify for a course record, the round must have been played under rules at least as stringent as the Guys Golf Rules.  E.g. if the use of mulligans was more liberal than our rules allow, or putts outside the leather were routinely conceded , or there were other rules “modifications” which compromised the legitimacy of the round, it should not be reported as a course record.  

 

  1. Inasmuch as golf is a game of honor and integrity, submission of scores for new course records will generally be handled – as in the famous Seinfeld Contest – “within the confines of the honor system”.  However, a player claiming a new course record not played in a regular guys golf outing should save the scorecard from the round, and be prepared to produce it, should it be requested by any of his fellow Guys golfers. 

 

  1. With the exception of already existing, “grandfathered” records, no new records will be recorded which precede 1996.

 

 

FINISHING PLAY

 

  1. Unless sick or injured, a player should always hang in and finish his round.  Quitting in the middle of a round, or continuing to play without keeping score because of dissatisfaction with one’s play, or the course, is not considered sporting, and is discouraged.

 

  1. If a player quits without finishing his round, or posts an incomplete round due to not keeping score on one or more holes, it will constitute a  “WD” (withdrawn) on the official guys web site, and the resulting proxy score (described in #3 below) will be highlighted in pink. (Note: a player always has the option of taking a ten on a non-finished hole)

 

  1. For score reporting purposes - both handicap calculation and the official Guys Golf Scores on the website - a player who quits his round for other than injury or illness reasons will report a score that is 5 strokes higher than the highest score recorded by any of the players in the group during that round.  On the website, that score will be used in calculating the final season average score.

 

HANDICAPS

 

  1. Each player is responsible for determining and maintaining a handicap.  This can be done officially, through the USGA or USGA-affiliated handicap sites or services, or unofficially through free websites such as FairwayFiles.com or Yahoo, or any other handicap software or app.  Any player without a current, verifiable handicap is not eligible for any handicapped-based betting or awards activities at Guys golf events, except as noted in number 5 below.

 

  1. Players should use Equitable Stroke Control  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equitable_score_control) when posting their scores.  This system imposes a limit on the number of strokes one can take on a hole, relative to handicap, to make the overall (adjusted) score more representative of the player’s ability.  For handicaps up to 9, the limit is double bogey; from 10-19, the limit is 7; from 20-29 the limit is 8.  If you fall in the 10-19 handicap range, you shouldn’t enter any number larger than a 7 if posting hole-by-hole scores; or, if entering the total 18 hole score, reduce it to the score it would be if you had nothing higher than a 7.  Example:  Your handicap is 16. You shoot a 91 with 8’s on two holes.  Those 8’s get reduced to 7’s and your adjusted score is an 89. If your handicap is between 20-29, substitute 8 for 7 in the above example and enter your score in the same manner.

 

  1.  Every round played should be posted for handicapping purposes, whether it is played with the Guys, other players, or by yourself.

 

  1. If a player doesn’t have a current handicap & wants to participate in low net or other handicapped-based competition during a round/outing, he may be given an estimated handicap, if agreed to by all other players.

 

 

HONORS

 

  1.  Honors will generally be observed on the tee box.  However, if a group is playing slow, has fallen behind, or been advised to speed up by a ranger,  players should play “ready golf” so that if the player who has honors isn’t ready to hit, whoever is ready should tee off. 

 

  1. On Par 3 holes, the player with honors can elect to hit last instead of first.  If he chooses this option, the person next in line for honors will hit first, and the others will hit in the same order they normally would.  Only the player with honors can choose not to hit in order.

 

 

IMPROVING LIE

 

  1. Improving your lie, or “pooching”, will be permitted anywhere on the course at any time for those players who wish to do so.   Unless “lift, clean and place” (see below) is in effect, the ball may not be touched.

 

  1. It is recognized that some players prefer to play the ball as it lies, in accordance with the official rules of golf.  Such play is encouraged for all players who want to do so.  Those playing the ball “down” should feel free to improve their lie when the ball lies in a divot, or when an area of the course is damaged and should be designated as Ground Under Repair.

 

  1. When weather conditions dictate, and it is agreed to by all players ahead of time, “lift, clean and place” rules will be played, where the player can lift his ball, clean it, and place it with no penalty anywhere on the course.

 

  1. Whether the player is pooching or playing the ball down, if his ball rests in an unraked, untended or otherwise unfair lie in a sand trap, he should “rake and place” or improve the lie as it would be had the trap been tended.   In doing so, however, the ball should not be moved closer to the hole. 

 

 

 

 LOST BALL

 

  1. A lost ball will be played as a lateral drop (2 club lengths from approximate spot ball lost, no closer to hole) and 1 stroke penalty.

 

  1. The “Leaf rule” exception to the above is when a ball is hit into an area where all players agree it should be findable, but additional time can’t be spent looking for it.  Examples of areas where this would apply are: normal to deep rough (but not tall chi-chi weeds or wild grasses); lightly wooded tree line (but not thick stands of trees, woods, or base of evergreens); or areas where fallen leaves are thick.  For this rule to apply, the ball must rest in the parameters of the hole being played.  A ball hit into any area of an adjacent hole which can’t be found, will be treated as lost under number 1 above.

 

  1. Not more than 5 minutes should be taken to look for a lost ball; less, if being pushed by the group behind or having been warned to speed up pace of play.

 

  1. If a player concludes his ball is lost, drops a ball per # 1 above and hits a new ball taking a penalty stroke, and his original ball is subsequently found before he has hit the dropped ball again, he shall play the original ball, as if it had been found before declaring it lost, without penalty. 

 

 

MAXIMUM SCORE

 

  1. The maximum score to be taken on any hole during a Guy’s golf round is 10.  To avoid holding up play by his playing partners, or the group behind, the player should pick up after 9 strokes, or pick up at any point during a blow-up up hole and record a 10.  If a player elects to not finish a hole out of frustration or any other reason, his score on that hole will be a 10.

 

 

MULLIGANS

 

1.    One optional Mulligan is allowed, on the tee shot of the first hole only, on all guys rounds.  If the player takes a mulligan, he is required to play that ball, even if it is a worse shot than the first one.  The Mulligan must be played with the same club that was used on the first ball.

 

  1. For selected outings or events, the above rule may be modified as the “Breakfast Ball” option.  Under this variation, when dissatisfied with the first shot, the player may hit a second ball – on the first tee only – and play the better of the two balls.  As with the basic mulligan rule, the same club must be used for both shots.  Use of the Breakfast Ball option rather than mulligan rule #1 above is at the discretion of the event host or commissioner.

 

  1. Neither the basic mulligan rule or breakfast ball option applies to scrambles.

 

 

PUTTING

 

  1. Putts “inside the leather” (of a standard putter; i.e. approximately 2 feet) are gimmes.  The player doesn’t have to ask, or be told “that’s good”; if it is inside the leather, it is good and should be picked up.  If the player elects to putt it anyway, and misses, the putt counts.

 

  1. Any putt not inside the leather should be putted out.  Players shouldn’t “give” a putt to another player unless it is inside the leather.  However, if a group is playing slow, falling behind, or has been warned by a ranger to speed up play, short putts that are slightly outside the leather may be given.  Putts of 3 feet or more should always be putted out.

 

  1. Any player can choose to continuously putt until he has holed his putt, so long as doing so doesn’t cause him to stand in another player’s putting line. If a group is playing slow, falling behind, or has been warned by a ranger to speed up play, it should practice continuous putting to the extent possible.

 

  1. An exception to the gimme rule is when a player is having a “blowup” hole, in which case the player may take/be given a short putt that may be slightly outside the leather.  A blowup hole is a triple bogey or higher, i.e. the putt being given would result in a triple or higher. 

 

 

OUT OF BOUNDS

 

  1. Out of bounds (OB) is to be played as a lateral hazard.  Ball should be dropped 2 club lengths from where it went OB, no closer to the hole, and 1 penalty stroke added.

 

  1. An exception to the above OB rule is white stakes within the course boundaries, e.g. between fairways.  A player hitting a ball outside stakes which are within the course boundaries will get a free lateral drop (no penalty stroke).

 

 

 

RELIEF

 

1.     A player will receive free relief from various man-made,  artificial or decorative obstacles, movable and immovable, including, but not limited to the list below:

 

-   cart path

-   sprinkler

-          Fences (except as in #2 below)

-          railings

-          walls

-   mulched area under trees

-   decorative rocks or boulders

 

The player gets one club length from the point of relief, which is the nearest spot, no closer to the hole, where neither the ball nor the player’s stance is in or affected by the obstruction.  Note that the player’s swing may still be obstructed or limited after taking this relief.  In the event that the ball can’t be moved away from the hole without putting the ball in a hazard or giving the player a penalizing lie (e.g. on cart path to right of #3 at Palmira) the ball will be moved to the nearest spot where the player has an unimpeded lie, without moving the ball closer to the hole to the extent possible.

 

2.    Relief from any fence that forms the outer boundaries of the course and is designated as out of bounds, will result in a 1 stroke penalty.  This is in essence taking an unplayable lie.  The player is entitled to two club lengths from the fence, no closer to the hole, adding one stroke.  Relief from a fence in the interior of the course will be taken, penalty-free, as described in number 1 above.


 

 

 

TEE SELECTION

         

  1. In deciding which set of tees to play from - particularly on courses being played for the first time - slope will be the primary determining factor rather than yardage.  Generally, a slope rating in the 115 to 125 range is considered appropriate for the majority of our players.

 

  1.  Notwithstanding number 1 above, the event host/organizer/commissioner  - namely the guy who is making the tee times and rounding up the players - will make the final determination as to which set of tees are to be played. 

 

  1. For courses that do not have a set of tees offering a suitable yardage and/or slope – i.e. they are either too long or too short - the use of a hybrid should be considered.  A certain number of holes, usually based on handicap difficulty, will be played from more forward tees to make the overall yardage and slope appropriate.   

 

  1. A player may choose to hit from tees further back than those selected by the host/organizer.  A player may not, however, hit from a shorter set of tees unless:  (a) He is 75 years of age or older; or (b) an injury or temporary disability is affecting his hitting ability and/or distance.  For purposes of record keeping and “gold bar” awards on the official Guys website, there will not be separate awards or recognition for players who chose to use a different set of tees.

 

MISCELLANEOUS RULES

 

 

1.   Forced Carry – For a forced carry over a horizontal hazard – when there is no designated drop area on the other side – the maximum number of balls to be hit into the hazard shall be two.  After hitting 2 balls into the hazard, the player should drop on the other side, two club lengths from the edge of the hazard, hitting 5.  Although it is discouraged, a player may choose to ignore this rule and “Tin Cup” the hole, continuing to hit from the same spot until the hazard is cleared or 5 shots are hit into it, at which time the player would pick up with the maxiumum allowable score of 10.  This rule does not apply to lateral hazards.

 

 

 

 

 

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