LOCAL RULES
The Woodside Course
Out of Bounds (Rule 18.2)
Beyond all areas marked by white stakes or lines, including the areas surrounding the Greenkeeper’s maintenance compound and practice putting green.
Abnormal Course Conditions (Including Immovable Obstructions) (Rule 16)
- A ball lying on any artificial road, path or bridge (outside a penalty area) may be lifted, dropped at the nearest point of relief and no closer to the hole without penalty (Rule 16.1a(2)).
- All benches are immovable obstructions
- Telegraph poles are immovable obstructions (Rule 16.1a).
- When a player’s ball strikes a telegraph wire the player MUST replay the stroke without penalty.
- All sprinkler heads are immovable obstructions and relief may be obtained under Rule 16.1.
- A ball lying in an animal hoof print within a bunker, player can take free relief in the bunker as per Rule 16.1c
Aeration Holes/Irrigation or Drainage Lines
Aeration holes on greens, seams of cut turf or cracks, irrigation or drainage lines on fairways, a player may take relief under Rule 16.1.
Staked Trees and Young Trees
Young trees identified by stakes or trees less than 6 feet in height are no play zones. If a player’s ball lies anywhere on the course, excluding penalty areas, and such a tree interferes with their stance or intended swing, the player MUST take relief under Rule 16.1f (drop without penalty, nearest point of relief).
Fixed Sprinkler Heads (Rule 16)
(Model Local Rule F5)
a. All fixed sprinkler heads are immovable obstructions. Relief from interference may be obtained under Rule 16.1b (Relief for Ball in General Area).
In addition, if an immovable obstruction is on or within two club-lengths of the putting green of the hole being played and intervenes on the line of play between the ball and the hole, the player may obtain relief without penalty as follows:
If the ball lies in the general area, is not in a penalty area, and is within two club-lengths of the intervening obstruction, the ball may be lifted, cleaned and dropped in the relief area in accordance with Rule 14.3 (Dropping Ball in Relief Area).
b. Exception: There is no relief under this Local Rule if the player chooses a line of play that is clearly unreasonable.
Provisional Ball for Ball in a Penalty Area (Modified Rule 18.3)
Model Local Rule B-3 https://www.randa.org/rog/committee-procedures/8#8b_b-3
Purpose: Under Rule 18.3, a player is not allowed to play a ball provisionally if it is known or virtually certain that their original ball is in a penalty area. However, in unusual circumstances, the size, shape or location of a penalty area may prevent a player from seeing whether their ball has come to rest in the penalty area. Requiring the player to walk forward to establish the ball’s location before returning to play another ball under stroke-and-distance relief or another option under Rule 17 could cause an unreasonable delay to play.
To save time in these circumstances, the Committee has adopted the following modification to Rule 18.3.
If a player does not know whether their ball is in the lake penalty area on holes 17 and 18, the player may play a provisional ball under Rule 18.3, modified as follows:
1. Relief options
When playing a provisional ball under this Local Rule, the player may use any of the following relief options under Rule 17.1d:
- Stroke-and-distance relief (Rule 17.1d(1)).
- Back-on-the-line relief (Rule 17.1d(2)).
- Lateral relief (Rule 17.1d(3)), if the penalty area is red.
2. Restrictions on relief
Once a player has played a provisional ball under this Local Rule, they may not use any further relief options under Rule 17.1 in relation to their original ball.
3. When the provisional ball becomes the ball in play
Rule 18.3c(2) and Rule 18.3c(3) apply when determining whether the provisional ball becomes the ball in play or must be abandoned, subject to the following modification:
- If the original ball is found in the penalty area within the three-minute search period: The player may choose either to continue playing the original ball as it lies in the penalty area or to continue playing the provisional ball. If the player chooses to play the original ball, the provisional ball must be abandoned. All strokes made with the provisional ball before it was abandoned, including any penalty strokes incurred solely by playing that ball, do not count.
- If the original ball is not found within the three-minute search period, or it is known or virtually certain to be in the penalty area: The provisional ball becomes the ball in play.
- If the original ball is found outside the penalty area: The original ball remains the ball in play, and the provisional ball must be abandoned.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF Local Rules:
Match Play – Loss of hole
Stroke Play – Two strokes
Notes:
Pace of play – keep up with the group in front and do not hold up the group behind. Ready golf is strongly encouraged.
Repair all divots/pitch marks
Rake bunkers. Trolleys are not allowed between bunkers and greens.
Reviewed Oct 2026