Rules For Speed of Play
Maximum score recorded for any hole for WWGA is 10.

  If you reach 10 strokes on the fairway and we are having a putting tournament

1. pick up your ball at the 10^th stroke on the fairway 

2. drop it on the front of the green and putt out

3. Record your total strokes for the hole as 10

4. Your putting tournament score will be your number of putts 

    

If you reach 10 strokes on the fairway and we are not having a putting tournament

1. pick up your ball at the 10th stroke, record 10 as your total score for that hole and play the next hole

***Please circle the 10 on a hole if you picked up and the 10 recorded is not the actual score.

 *** NOTE: Maximum score of 10 should be recorded on the WWGA score card but when you enter your scores in GHIN the score entered should follow the Equitable Stroke Control (ESC).

 ***Maximum Scores for GHIN
****Following is a chart showing how many stroke you can take per hole with a 9 hole handicap (which is most of the members in WWGA).

 Handicap Maximum # Strokes to Post Per Hole

****Following is a chart showing how many stroke you can take per hole with an 18 hole handicap. 

 White, Red, and Yellow Stakes
White – OB or “Out of Bounds” Penalty is “Stroke and Distance.” This means you must take a one stroke penalty AND re-hit the ball from the original location from which the OB ball was hit. If in doubt as to whether the ball is out of bounds, hit a provisional ball and make the determination as to which ball you should play once you find the first ball hit. You must announce your intention (in advance) to hit a provisional ball.
NOTE: Stroke and Distance is also the penalty for “lost” balls.

Red – Lateral water hazard. See “Lateral Water Hazard” below.

Yellow – Regular water hazard. See “Regular Water Hazard” below. NOTE: Water may be a “lateral” or a “regular” water hazard. The color of the stakes will let you know which it is, but the main difference is a “lateral” hazard does not sit between your ball and the hole – i.e., your ball does not need to go “over” a lateral hazard to get to the hole.

 Water Hazards
Regular Water Hazards – Three choices are available:
1. Stroke and distance – add one penalty stroke to your score and re-hit the ball from where it was originally struck.
2. Play the ball as it lies (no penalty).
3. Drop the ball on the imaginary line drawn between the point the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard and the hole. The water stays between the ball and the hole. You may drop as far back on this imaginary line as you like. Add a penalty stroke to your score.

Lateral Water Hazards – All 3 choices for Regular Water Hazard above are available plus the following option:
Drop the ball two club lengths from where the ball crossed into the hazard, on either side of the hazard, equidistant from the hole. Add a penalty stroke to your score.

 How to “Drop” the ball
Stand erect, hold the ball at shoulder height and arm’s length and drop.

 Penalties on the Green
• If your ball, struck on the putting green, hits the flagstick in the hole, 2 stroke penalty.

  • If your ball, struck on the putting green, hits another ball on the green, 2 stroke penalty. (You play your ball where it stops; hit ball is replaced to its original position.)

  Note: there is no penalty if your strokes are taken off the green.

 Free Relief
No penalty stroke is added when you are allowed to take free relief from man-made obstructions, ground under repair, etc.

Loose Impediments (natural objects not fixed or growing, e.g., a twig, leaf, etc.) – May remove loose impediments from around your ball as long as 1) the ball is not in a hazard such as water, bunker, etc. and 2) you do not move the ball in the process of removing the loose impediment.

 Obstructions (man-made objects) – There are two types of obstructions:
• Movable obstruction (paper, rakes, benches, etc.) You may remove these type obstructions, even in a hazard. Be sure to replace your ball if it moves in the process of removing the obstruction.
• Immovable obstruction (sprinkler head, cart path, pipes, water fountain, etc.) You may take free relief if the obstruction affects your stance or swing. You may drop the ball within one club length of the nearest point of relief which is not nearer the hole.
NOTE: There is no relief if the obstruction is in a water hazard. In this case, follow the rules for water hazards above.

Unplayable Lie Sometimes your ball will land somewhere where you just can’t hit it. If it does not fit any of the categories above, you may declare it “Unplayable.” Your choices for action are:
1. Stroke and distance (take a one stroke penalty AND re-hit the ball from the original location from which the ball was hit).
2. Drop the ball within two club lengths of where it lies, not closer to the hole. Take a one stroke penalty.
3. Draw an imaginary from the hole to where the ball lies and extend the line behind the ball. You may drop as far back on this line as you like keeping the original spot between the drop point and the hole. Take a one stroke penalty.

NOTE: You may NOT declare a ball “Unplayable” if it is in a water hazard. And, if the ball is in a bunker, if you choose to drop the ball, it must remain in the bunker.

 Winter Rules
When conditions make it impossible to maintain the fairways in good condition (due to drought, excessive rain, etc.), the local course committee may decide that winter rules apply. Under winter rules, you may move your ball if it rests on bare ground in the correct fairway. You may improve your lie by placing the ball on a spot within six inches of, and not nearer the hole, than where it originally lay. A ball in the rough or in the wrong fairway must be played where it lies.

 Miscellaneous Tips on Golf Etiquette
• Be at the starter ready to play golf a minute before your tee time. When there is no starter, be outside the pro shop or at your first hole ready to play golf 3 minutes before your tee time.
• Be ready for your shot; don’t start getting ready when it is your turn.
• Remain quiet while others are on the tee. Cell phone etiquette.
• Don’t move around the green while others are putting.
• Replace divots. Fix ball marks. Rake sand traps.
• Keep your carts the proper distance from the greens and tee areas.
• Keep your cart slightly behind the line of the next golfer.
• Don’t walk on another putter’s “line.” This is the imaginary line between any ball on the green and the hole.

 Have Fun