HHMC Local Rules
The Hyland Hills Men’s Club follows standard USGA Rules of Golf with local modifications:
8-9-10 Maximum Score
For any “non-major” tournament, the maximum gross score for a hole is limited to 8 for Par-3s, 9 for Par-4s, and 10 for Par-5s. If you reach this glorious honor, just pick up and move on!
Yellow and Red Penalty Provisionals
If playing a provisional will prevent you from back-tracking due to a penalty area, please do so. This most often occurs on balls hit to the left side of the 8th green or into penalty areas with low water levels. Honor system!
2-Stroke Penalty for OB or Lost Ball (E-5)
Local Rule E-5 allows you to take a 2 stroke penalty in lieu of stroke-and-distance for any shot deemed to be out-of-bounds or lost. It is your responsibility to understand the nuance of the drop location, but generally you’ll be able to drop in the fairway, no closer to the hole.
Preferred Lies in the General Area
We only play “Lift, Clean, and Place” when the pro shop designates the course as “Cart Path Only” or “Walking Only”. Under those conditions, you may clean your ball and place it within 6 inches, no closer to the hole, anywhere in the general area (fairways, fringe, and rough).
Free Relief from French Drains
If your ball or stance is affected by a French Drain, you may take full relief as if it were a cart path.
Free Drops to Protect Course
All practice areas and greens are a free drop, no closer to the hole (or as close to that standard as reasonably possible), one club length from the nearest point of free relief.
Free Drop to Protect Flower Boxes
For flower boxes your group must agree that the ball most likely came to rest in the flower box, but your ball does NOT need to be found. This most often occurs on Hole 4 (front right), Hole 8 (back right), Hole 9 (back right), Hole 13 (back left), but please be respectful of the flower boxes throughout the course.
Sprinkler Heads Near the Green (F-5)
In addition to the traditional rules for an immovable object, we also allow relief if an object is within two club length of the green, your ball is within two club lengths of it, and the obstruction is on the line play. At Hyland Hills, this may occur for greenside sprinkler heads: you may take the nearest point of full relief, plus a club length, no closer to the hole.
Par 3 Drop Zones
Although the course might have drop zones marked on the par threes, we do not use them.
Hole 4 Drop Zone
If your ball comes to rest in the red hazard behind Hole 4, it is generally impractical to find a drop area that is no closer to the hole. If this is the case, you may drop on the side of the cart path that is nearer to the hole, but no more so than is necessary for you to take an unobstructed stance and swing.
Hole 8 Drop Zones
In addition to the traditional USGA rules of relief, on hole 8 you also have the option to use one two drop zones, depending upon your scenario.
Yellow Hazard - For any ball coming to rest anywhere in the yellow hazard, you may drop directly in front of the Red Tee Box (not on it), with a one stroke penalty.
Red Hazard or Flower Box - For any ball coming to rest in the red hazard behind the green or in the flower box at the back right, you may drop in the flat area between the flower box and the green. Red hazard is a one stroke penalty, but if your group is relatively certain the ball came to rest in the flower box, you may take free relief (see “Free Drops to protect course” above).
Hole 9 Drop Zone
If your ball comes to rest in the red hazard to the left of Hole 9, your USGA defined drop area is often on the cart path or in ground under repair. Any time you’re in the red hazard left of the cart path, you may drop on the right side of the cart path, no nearer to the hole, as if you had dropped on the cart path and then immediately taken relief from the path.
Ground Under Repair
You may encounter conditions that clearly fit the definition of ground under repair, but are not officially marked by the course. If you believe your lie meets this criteria, you may request your playing partners to verify that they agree. Upon their consent, you may take relief.
Finish the hole!
If you aren’t in the “swing” of tournament golf yet, it can be easy to forget that you must play out every putt in stroke play! Your ball must come to rest in the bottom of the cup for the score to be valid. Do not take any “gimmes” or scoop any putts, no matter how trivial. The only exceptions here are for when you’ve hit the max score, you’re out of the hole (many formats do not require a valid score from every player), or a putt is conceded in Match Play.
** If there is a disagreement on a rule, please play two balls, one each way, and then explain the situation to the tournament committee for a ruling.
