Rule 33-8 in The Rules of Golf states that the Committee may make and publish Local Rules for abnormal conditions if they are consistent with the policy set forth in Appendix I (of the Rules). The following local rules will be in effect for all PAGC Home Tournaments unless modified by the Rules sheet for a particular tournament. These rules will also be in effect at away tournaments unless local rules at the course being played are in conflict with those below. These Local Rules are also posted on the bulletin board at the golf course. It is the player's responsibility to be aware of these rules; they will not be individually listed on each tournament information sheet.

(NEW FOR 2006) DISTANCE-MEASURING DEVICES: For all tournament play a player may obtain distance information by using a device that measures distance only. However, if, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device that is designed to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g., gradient, wind-speed, temperature, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3, for which the penalty is disqualification, regardless of whether any such additional functions are actually used.

FRENCH DRAINS: French Drains are gravel filled trenches designed to improve course drainage. Such drains are to be treated as Ground Under Repair when they interfere with the player's lie of ball, stance or area of intended swing. When grass has grown over such drains, relief is only available if the player can demonstrate the existence of gravel underneath the ball by probing with a tee or other pointed object. Likewise, when grass has grown over such drains, any irregularity of the player's lie caused by minor amounts of ground settling is not sufficient reason to grant relief. When there is doubt as to the availability of relief, the player should play two balls under Rule 3.3.

(MODIFIED FOR 2006) AERATION HOLES: Through the green, a ball which comes to rest in or on an aeration hole may be lifted without penalty, cleaned and dropped, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green. (If the ball ends up in any aeration hole after two drops, it should be placed at the point where it last struck the ground but not in an aeration hole). On the green, the player may lift, clean, and place the ball at the nearest spot outside the aeration hole but not nearer the hole.

EMBEDDED BALL THROUGH THE GREEN: The local Rule as prescribed in Appendix I shall be in effect and relief will be available ‘through the green’.

STAKED TREES: The local rule prescribed in Appendix I for the Protection of Young Trees is in effect and the player must take relief as prescribed in the rule.

PRACTICE BETWEEN ROUNDS: The Tournament Committee has chosen to permit practice on the course on the afternoon following the first round of our two day stroke play tournaments so that players may take advantage of the reduced rates available for replays.

PREFERRED LIES: When the Committee has determined that "preferred lies" or "winter rules" are necessary due to adverse weather or course conditions, the following Rule is in effect:

"Any ball lying through the green may, without penalty, be marked, lifted, cleaned, and placed within one club length of where it originally lay, but not nearer the hole and not in a hazard or on a putting green. A player may place his ball once and after the ball has been so placed, it is in play."

Additional details concerning penalties can be found in Appendix I of the Rules of Golf.

NEWLY SODDED AREAS: For a ball in a newly sodded area through the green, if the ball lies in or touches a sod seam, the player may, without penalty, lift the ball and clean it. The player shall drop the ball as near as possible to where it originally lay, not nearer the hole, avoids interference by the condition and is not in a hazard or on a putting green.

LATE TO TEE: The Committee has adopted the condition of competition which allows only a two-stroke penalty (or loss of first hole) for a player who arrives at the tee, ready to play, within five minutes of his starting time.

(MODIFIED FOR 2008) DECIDING TIES:  When a tie exists for first place in a Major tournament (as defined under Tournament Policies), a sudden death playoff shall take place immediately following the conclusion of the event. In the case of NCGA Qualifiers, the playoff is only done for the playoff spots

If the tie involves handicaps, each player's handicap (as shown on the scorecard) will be reduced by the lowest handicap involved in the playoff, with the low handicap player getting zero strokes. The stroke allocations shown on the scorecard will be used for the playoff. If the playoff is for an overall net winner and different tees have been used by different players, the shorter tees will be used for the playoffs. It may be that handicaps need to be recalculated at this point.

When a first place tie exists in other situations, a ‘card’ playoff is done. The USGA recommended method is used in which the winner is determined by the last 9, 6, 3, and 1 holes. Fractional handicaps are retained when making these comparisons. If this method fails to produce a winner, the same process is used on the front nine. A tie at that point will be decided by the flip of a coin.

If there are both gross and net ties to be broken, the gross tie is broken first.

Ties for other than first place are not broken; prize awards and TOC points are combined and shared. However, at away tournaments where prize certificates must be distributed, the tournament chairman can chose to distribute the prize awards (not the TOC points) based on a card playoff as described above.

LATERAL WATER HAZARD ON 16^TH HOLE: Even though there are signs indicating this as an "environmentally sensitive" area, in our tournament play it is treated as a regular lateral water hazard. A player may play out of it and may retrieve his ball from it with no penalty.

WARNING: It is marked this way for SAFETY PURPOSES. People have stepped and lost shoes and worse. You enter the area at your own risk. Don’t say you were not warned.

Last updated 10/22/07