Winter Rules and Winter Red

There may be some confusion re: the "Winter Red" category that you see when posting your score. This has nothing to do with winter rules being in effect. You should post Winter Red when you play all holes on the front from the red tees except for hole #6; on hole #6, you tee off from the gold tees and the hole becomes a par 3. If you are playing Winter Red, do not tee off from the red tees on #6; go directly to the gold tee box and tee off there. If you tee off from the red tees on #6 and then can't find your ball, you must follow our local rule for dropping a ball in the drop zone and you are then lying three. You can't decide, when your ball is lost, that you will post Winter Red for that day!

Winter Rules being in effect means that you may lift, clean and place your ball, within one grip length from it?s original place, no closer to the hole. Winter Rules are put into effect by the pro shop. It saves the golf course (and our bodies!) from wear and tear during the cold, wet months.

Golf Rule # 27 – BALL LOST OR OUT OF BOUNDS; PROVISIONAL BALL

27-1-c: Lost Ball – If a player’s ball is not found after searching for five minutes, the ball is deemed lost; the player takes a one-stroke penalty and plays a ball as near as possible to the spot from which the original ball was hit. This ball is now the ball in play and, if the original ball is found later, it cannot be played. If player does hit the original ball when it’s found, she is playing the “wrong ball” and incurs a two-stroke penalty. If the original ball was a tee shot, ball may be re-teed. *27-2: Provisional Ball – If a ball may be lost (or out of bounds) the player may (should) play a provisional ball to save time. The player MUST announce to his competitors that she is hitting a provisional ball and she should use a ball that is different from the original. If the player neglects to inform the others that she is hitting a provisional, that ball now becomes the ball in play and the “original” ball is deemed lost. The player takes a stroke and distance penalty. If another provisional is required, the same procedure is followed. After provisional is announced and hit, the player continues to play that ball until reaching a point where the original ball is likely to be. If the original is not found, and the player continues to hit the provisional from that point or past it, the provisional becomes the ball in play and the player cannot then play the original if it is later found. If the original ball is found or is inbounds before the player has played the provisional ball past that point, the provisional ball is abandoned. If the player decides to continue to play the provisional, she is hitting the wrong ball and takes a 2-stroke penalty and must play the correct (original) ball. * This rule was amended in Jan. of 2014 so that now a player has the option of walking as far as 50 yards from his original shot to see if his ball is OK without forfeiting his right to hit a provisional ball!

Golf Rule #28 – BALL UNPLAYABLE

A ball may be deemed unplayable ANYWHERE on the golf course (except in a water hazard), including on the putting green and in a bunker*. The player has sole discretion as to whether the ball is unplayable or not. When the player calls the ball unplayable, she may lift and clean or substitute a ball; she then has three options, each with a one-stroke penalty: 1. Go back to a spot as close as possible to where the original ball was played, drop the ball and replay the shot. (i.e. stroke and distance) 2. Drop a ball as far back as desired behind where the ball lies, keeping that point on a line directly between the hole and the spot where the ball is dropped. 3. Drop a ball within two club lengths of where the ball lies, in any direction, but not closer to the hole. *If the ball is in a bunker and the player is not replaying the shot (option #1), you can use option #2 or #3, but the ball must stay inside the bunker.

Summary of 2019 USGA Rule Changes

Summary of the 20 most significant rules changes in the 2019 USGA Rules of Golf.