NCI-FREDERICK GOLF LEAGUE RULES

Unless indicated below, the league will play according to all USGA rules for stroke play!

NCI-FREDERICK LEAGUE OR LOCAL RULE EXCEPTIONS:

    1. WINTER RULES - the league will allow players to use winter rules all year long. These rules allow you to roll your ball over in your fairway only. The ball should not be moved more than 6-8 inches. The ball can not be moved if it is in the rough, a hazard, or another fairway.

    2. GROUND UNDER REPAIR - USGA rules allow you to move your ball out of designated areas which are currently under repair. Under most circumstances, areas under repair are not designated during league play. Therefore, league rules allow each player to determine if their ball is in an area under repair, and if so, to move their ball from this area without penalty. Ground under repair does not include; the rough, hazards, rocks, "burned-out" or areas devoid of grass, drainage areas, or just areas you think need to be repaired. Ground under repair are areas that are under repair!

    3. PLANTED TREES - to protect recently planted trees, players are allowed to move their ball, up to 2 clublengths no nearer the hole, away from trees 6 feet or less in height. Balls in the rough must remain in the rough. Small trees in the woods or hazards are not considered to be planted.

    4. LOST BALL - for the NCI-FREDERICK league the following rules for lost balls will be used:

    First, if at any time on the course you hit a ball in or near a hazard, woods, or out-of-bounds you should hit a provisional ball. A good general rule to follow is - if you don’t see the ball land, play a provisional. If your not sure, ask your playing partners what they think. If the first ball is found, it must be played, and there is no penalty for hitting the provisional. If the first ball is lost, play the provisional ball. Your penalty is one stroke and distance. However, remember you must count the strokes from your first ball and the provisional ball (ie. you will be hitting your fourth shot if the ball was lost off the tee).

    Under normal USGA rules, if you loose a ball unexpectedly (ie. you did not hit a provisional) you would return to the spot of the original shot and follow the rules above. However in an effort to speed-up play, league rules allow a player to continue play after an unexpected lost ball by dropping a replacement ball as close as possible to the spot where the ball was lost (if your not sure of the spot, ask your playing partners - they are the final judges!). Your penalty must be the same as if you hit a provisional, and therefore would be 2 strokes (ie. you will be hitting your fourth shot if the ball was lost off the tee).

    5.  Environmental Areas - will be treated as lateral hazards.  Course rules allow players to walk in these areas, and if the ball can be found, continue play.  In league, if you cannot find your ball in a timely manner, take a drop from the nearest point of entry, take the penalty, and continue play. 

    6. INCREASING THE SPEED OF PLAY - to increase the speed of play, the NCI-Frederick league encourages all players to adhere to the following suggestions:

a. Please follow the continuous play policy as much as possible. This policy does not abandon the "honors" system but simply states that the first player ready to hit, will be the first player to hit. If two players are ready to hit at the same time, the player with the "honors" will still go first. However, players should make every effort to immediately prepare themselves for their next shot, even if they do not have the "honors". This policy is applicable everywhere on the course (tee, fairway, rough, hazards, and on the green).

b. Where possible putt-out and move on! If you are not in the line of a playing partner’s putt, complete your hole and move on to the tee and be ready to hit.

c. Beginning and high handicap golfers are encouraged to tee off late or mix in with lower handicap golfers. It’s not that high handicap golfers are slow, it’s just a fact of life that it takes longer to hit 65 shots than it does 35. If you are a high handicap golfer, playing with a lower handicap player should be enjoyable and they may help you with your stroke, the rules or methods of course management.

d. Play through - if you find your foresome has one or more holes open in front of you, and the group behind you has had to wait to play several shots, you should allow this group to play through. It doesn’t matter why there is an open hole in front of you, and it doesn’t matter how many people are in the group behind you, if there is open space in front of you and the group behind is waiting - let them play through!

e. A major slow-up in league play is due to players looking for lost balls and then deciding what to do. REMEMBER: (1) if you think a ball "may" be lost, hit a provisional; (2) if you think one of your playing partners balls "may" be lost, please recommend to them that they hit a provisional; (3) you have only 5 minutes to look for a lost ball and to play your next shot; and (4) if you loose a ball "unexpectedly" drop a new ball and take the 2 stroke penalty (see the rules above).

We hope that these "local" rules and USGA rule exceptions will speed up your play and make your rounds more enjoyable and rewarding. If you have any questions or comments regarding these rules, contact your leagues commissioner. HAVE FUN!