Local Rules

Local Rules applicable to the Bendigo Golf Club:

  • INTERNAL OUT Of BOUNDS (OOB): defined by White posts with Black Tops
  • Internal OOB posts are treated as Boundary Objects during the play or the 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 18th holes. For all other holes, they are Immovable Obstructions.
  • NO PLAY ZONES (NPZ) (Rule 16.1f):
  • White Stake(s) with Green Tops identify a NPZ in the general area, putting green and bunkers (includes garden beds, practice fairway, staked trees and nurseries).
  • Nurseries are designated by one stake in each corner.
  • Free relief MUST be taken, when:
    1. player’s ball is in a NPZ (Rule 16.1b, c or d), or
    2. if the player’s ball is not in a NPZ but NPZ interferes with the area of intended stance or area of intended swing (Rule 16.1b, c or d or Rule 19)
  • GROUND UNDER REPAIR (GUR) – Mandatory Relief (Rule 16.1b): Excluding Penalty Areas:
  • Any area encircled by White Lines or White Stakes is GUR. Relief MUST be taken.
  • GROUND UNDER REPAIR (GUR) – Optional Relief (Rule 16.1b): Excluding Penalty Areas:
    • Tree Roots: Where a player’s ball is at rest in the general area, cut to fairway height or less and there is interference to the area of intended swing from exposed tree roots. Excludes interference to the player’s stance.
    • Solidly Embedded Stones: Excludes interference to the players stance.
    • Bunkers: Areas in bunkers where sand has been removed by the movement of water resulting in deep furrows through the sand. Relief area is within the bunker.
    • Soil Stockpiles: Left side of the 5th and 7th fairways.
    • Ant nests:
    • Bird Scratchings: Excludes interference to the players stance.
  • IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTIONS (Rule 16.1b):
    • All stakes, tree guards, sheds, distance markers, watering equipment, and fixed sprinkler heads are IMMOVABLE OBJECTS and relief from interference to intended stance or area of intended swing MUST be taken. Excludes penalty areas.
    • If a player’s ball lies in the general area and an IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTION is on the line of play, and is within two club lengths of the putting green, and is within two club lengths of the ball, the player MAY take FREE relief.
  • RED PENALTY AREAS: are defined by red lines or red stakes.
  • YELLOW PENALTY AREAS: are defined by yellow lines or yellow stakes.
  • BALL DEFLECTED BY POWER LINES (Rule 14.6): If it is known or virtually certain that a player’s ball hit a power line during the play of the 5th hole, the stroke does not count. The player MUST play another ball without penalty from where the previous stroke was made.
  • DROPPING STAKES (Rule 14.3): are 1m high Orange stakes, labelled as Dropping Stakes. When a player’s ball is at rest in GUR defined by white lines and when Dropping Stakes are adjacent to this GUR, relief MUST be taken at the NEAREST dropping stake (within on club length).
  • DISTANCE MARKERS: White timber posts on edge of fairway indicate 150m to the centre of the green. Distance on sprinkler heads is to the centre of the green (m).
  • GENERAL PENALTY: Stroke Play – 2 penalty strokes. Match Play – loss of hole.
  • GROUND STAFF ALWAYS HAVE RIGHT OF WAY.