92nd ANNUAL FRESNO CITY AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Local Rules and Terms of the Competition
(May 25-27, 2019)
The Rules of Golf as approved by the USGA and The R & A govern play. The following Local Rules and Terms of the Competition are in effect, along with additional Local Rules or Terms as may be supplied. Complete text of Rules and Model Local Rules may be found in the current edition of the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf. Unless otherwise noted, the penalty for breach of a Local Rule is the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play).
FORMAT: Individual stroke play played over three rounds of 18 holes each. Low 40 and ties advance to third round.
TEES: The Championship Flight will be played from the gold tees.
TIES: Ties for first place only will be decided by sudden death playoff commencing at hole number 18, then hole numbers 17 and 18 looped as necessary. All other ties will split the prizes for the places they tie.
SERIOUS MISCONDUCT: Disruptive or inappropriate behavior contrary to the good conduct of the tournament in the determination of the Committee will not be tolerated. Examples include (but are not limited to): club-throwing, loud or obscene language, causing unnecessary damage to the course or facility, derogatory or abusive language toward other players, officials and/or course staff or consistent disruptive behavior such as excessive cell phone use. The penalty for Serious Misconduct is Disqualification. Further disciplinary action may also be imposed, including suspension from future events.
DISQUALIFICATION: When a player breaches a Rule where the penalty is disqualification, the player must leave the course immediately.
PLAYER CARTS AND SPECTATOR CARTS: A maximum of two carts are allowed per group. Players with more than two carts in a group will not be permitted to continue until the players have joined into two carts. Spectator carts are not allowed absent permission from the Rules Chairman. A spectator cart is defined as a cart which is not used to transport a player's clubs, and the person(s) in the cart is (are) not a player or a player's caddie. A player cart may be used by the player and/or their caddie to transport a player's clubs. A player may walk and their caddie may drive. A caddie may carry a player's bag and the player may ride. A non-player occupying the cart used to transport the player's clubs is a caddie. Only the player or caddie may ride in the cart. If a person other than the player or caddie moves the cart in a "casual act" the Rules of Golf do not consider this individual to be a caddie or the player to have two caddies and there is no breach of Rule 10.3a.
OFFICIAL TIME: The clock at the teeing area of the hole where the players begin their round is the official time of the competition. Starters will not page players in advance of their starting time. Players should arrive at their assigned tee 10 minutes prior to their starting time.
SCORECARDS: Riverside GC scorecards have no status. Properly completed official scorecards must be returned to the Committee in the scoring area “promptly.” (Rule 3.3b(2).)
PAINTED BLUE DOTS NEAR PUTTING GREENS: No relief is available from such dots.
GROUND UNDER REPAIR: Defined by white lines. French drains are ground under repair (Rule 16.1).
WHITE-LINED AREAS TYING INTO ARTIFICIALLY-SURFACED ROADS AND PATHS: White-lined areas of ground under repair and the artificially-surfaced roads, paths or other identified obstructions that they are connected to are a single abnormal course condition when taking relief under Rule 16.1.
ELEVATED POWER LINES: If it is known or virtually certain that a player’s ball hit an elevated power line during the play of holes 1, 4 or 17, the stroke does not count. The player must play a ball without penalty from where the previous stroke was made (see Rule 14.6 for what to do).
OUT OF BOUNDS: Defined by white stakes or boundary fences to the right of hole numbers 1 and 3, to the left of hole numbers 10, 11, 14, 15, 16 and 17, and behind the putting greens of hole numbers 2, 3 and 13. Out of bounds behind and to the right of the putting green on hole number 9 is defined by the course side edge of the cart path, in the area beginning and ending with white stakes.
IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTIONS CLOSE TO PUTTING GREENS: Relief from interference by such an immovable obstruction may be taken under Rule 16.1. When the ball is in the general area, the player may take relief under Rule 16.1b if an immovable obstruction is on his line of play and is within two club-lengths of the putting green, and within two club-lengths of the ball. Both the ball and the immovable obstruction must be in the general area cut to fairway height or less. Exception - There is no relief under this Local Rule if the player chooses a line of play that is clearly unreasonable.
EDGING GROOVES NEAR PUTTING GREENS: The edging grooves around the aprons or fringes of putting greens are ground under repair. If a player’s ball lies in or touches a groove or a groove interferes with the area of intended swing: (a) Ball in General Area. The player may take free relief under Rule 16.1b; (b) Ball on the Putting Green. The player may take free relief under Rule 16.1d. Interference does not exist if the edging groove only interferes with the player’s stance.
PROTECTION OF YOUNG TREES: The young trees identified by stakes are no play zones. If a player’s ball lies on or touches such a tree or such a tree interferes with the player’s stance or area of intended swing, the player must take relief under Rule 16.1f.
SEAMS OF CUT TURF (SOD SEAMS): If a player’s ball lies in or touches a seam of cut turf or a seam interferes with the player’s area of intended swing: (a) Ball in General Area. The player may take relief under Rule 16.1b. (b) Ball on Putting Green. The player may take relief under Rule 16.1d. But interference does not exist if the seam only interferes with the player’s stance. All seams within the area of cut turf are treated as the same seam in taking relief. This means that if a player has interference from any seam after dropping the ball, the player must proceed as required under Rule 14.3c(2) even when the ball is still within one club-length of the reference point.
DROPPING ZONE: If a player is entitled to relief from the cart path left of the 12th putting green, the player may proceed under Rule 16.1b or, as an additional option where interference is between the four green stakes adjacent to the cart path, drop the ball in the dropping zone behind the putting green.
PACE OF PLAY: A player shall be subject to penalty if he unreasonably delays play. For the purpose of preventing slow play, the Committee has established a maximum allowable time for groups to complete their round. Consult your scorecard for that maximum allowable time. Absent exceptional circumstances determined by the Committee, if a group completes their round later than its maximum allowable time and, in the case of groups other than the lead group in a wave, more than 14 minutes behind the group in front of them, every player in that group will be subject to penalty of two strokes on the final hole of the round.
WHEN COMPETITION IS FINAL: The competition is final when Bill Finn, or his designee, begins to make announcements in the public scoring area after all scorecards have been returned on Monday afternoon.
FINAL DECISIONS ON DISPUTED POINTS: Tyler Tharpe, Karl Rodefer, Michael Sheragy and Vaughn Kezirian.