THE GUYS G0LF RULES

 

Updated 6/3/2018

 

INTRODUCTION: The Guys Golf Rules are not intended to cover all areas of the game or substitute for the official USGA rules.  Their purpose is to address areas where our rules differ from the USGA’s (because the official rules are needlessly harsh or irrational), or to clarify those rules or our application of them. 

 

Changes, additions or modifications to The Guys Golf Rules may be suggested by any player at any time.  The rules custodian will draft the suggested change and put it out in draft form for comment by all players.  At his discretion, he may first consult with the Executive Committee to discuss the proposal before circulating it for wider comment.  Changes will be adopted by general consensus. 

 

Any player is free to play by rules more stringent than these, including the official USGA or R&A golf rules, at his discretion.

 

The categories are listed in alphabetical order, not in order of importance, with the exception of the Miscellaneous category which is listed last.


 

 

COURSE RECORDS

 

  1. A list of documented course records will be maintained on the official Guys website: http://www.geocities.com/crsturner/guyscourserecords.html   To be “documented”,  the round must have been  witnessed by, or played in a round/outing which includes, a regular or occasional player in Guys golf events.  

 

  1. To qualify for a course record, the round must have been played under rules at least as stringent as the Guys Golf Rules.  If mulligans other than the “breakfast ball” were allowed, putts outside gimme range were routinely conceded , or there were other rules modifications which compromised the legitimacy of the round, it should not be reported as a course record.  

 

  1. Inasmuch as golf is a game of honor and integrity, submission of scores for new course records will generally be handled – as in the famous Seinfeld Contest – “within the confines of the honor system”.  However, a player claiming a new course record not played in a regular guys golf outing should save the scorecard from the round, and be prepared to produce it, should it be requested by any of his fellow Guys golfers. 

 

  1. With the exception of already existing, “grandfathered” records, no new records will be recorded which precede 1996.

 

 

FINISHING PLAY

 

  1. Unless sick or injured, a player should always hang in and finish his round.  Quitting in the middle of a round, or continuing to play without keeping score because of dissatisfaction with one’s play, or the course, is not considered sporting, and is discouraged.

 

  1. If a player quits without finishing his round, or posts an incomplete round due to not keeping score on one or more holes, it will constitute a  “WD” (withdrawn) on the official guys web site, and the resulting proxy score (described below) will be highlighted in pink. (Note: a player always has the option of taking a ten on a non-finished hole)

 

  1. For score reporting purposes - both handicap calculation and the official Guys Golf Scores on the website - a player who quits his round for other than injury or illness reasons will report a score that is 5 strokes higher than the highest score recorded by any of the players in the group during that round.  On the website, that score will be used in calculating the final season average score.

 

GIMMES

 

  1. A putt is a “Gimme” if it is within 29” of the hole.  This distance has evolved from the leather of Randy Sturner’s old putter.  Players may mark the grip of their putter with a pen, sharpie, tape or any other marking to designate this distance.  (With the putter sole down, as in the putting stroke, measure 29” up the shaft and grip). If any part of the ball “breaks the plane” of said marking when the toe of the putter is hooked in the hole, the putt is good. 

 

  1. If no one in the group/foursome has the 29” marking, the gimme becomes any putt inside the leather of the putter, hooked in the hole as described above.  Any putter in the group – i.e. the one with the “friendliest” leather - may be used for the determination.

 

  1. Any putt not a gimme must be putted out.  Players shouldn’t give a putt to any member of the group unless the above criteria apply, with the 2 exceptions noted in #4 below.

 

  1. If a group is playing slow, falling behind, or has been warned by a ranger to speed up play, short putts that are slightly outside the gimme range may be conceded.  If a player is having a “blowup” hole, a short putt that is slightly outside the gimme range may be given.  A blowup hole is defined as a triple bogey or higher (i.e. the putt being given would result in a triple or higher).  Putts of 3 feet or more should always be putted out.

 

 

HANDICAPS

 

  1. Each player is responsible for determining and maintaining a handicap.  This can be done officially, through the USGA or USGA-affiliated handicap sites or services, or unofficially through free websites such as FairwayFiles.com or Yahoo, or any other handicap software or app.  Any player without a current, verifiable handicap is not eligible for any handicapped-based betting or awards activities at Guys golf events, except as noted in number 5 below.

 

  1. Players should use Equitable Stroke Control  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equitable_score_control) when posting their scores.  This system imposes a limit on the number of strokes one can take on a hole, relative to handicap, to make the overall (adjusted) score more representative of the player’s ability.  For handicaps up to 9, the limit is double bogey; from 10-19, the limit is 7; from 20-29 the limit is 8.  If you fall in the 10-19 handicap range, you shouldn’t enter any number larger than a 7 if posting hole-by-hole scores; or, if entering the total 18 hole score, reduce it to the score it would be if you had nothing higher than a 7.  Example:  Your handicap is 16. You shoot a 91 with 8’s on two holes.  Those 8’s get reduced to 7’s and your adjusted score is an 89. If your handicap is between 20-29, substitute 8 for 7 in the above example and enter your score in the same manner.

 

  1.  Every round played should be posted for handicapping purposes, whether it is played with the Guys, other players, or by yourself.

 

  1. If a player doesn’t have a current handicap & wants to participate in low net or other handicapped-based  competition during a round/outing, he may be given an estimated handicap, if agreed to by all other players.

 

 

HONORS

 

  1.  Whether or not Honors will be observed on the tee box is optional.  If a group is playing slow, fallen behind, been advised to speed up by a ranger, or just wants to,  they should play “ready golf” in which it doesn’t matter who hits first, or what order of hitting is utilized.  

 

  1. If observing honors on the tee: On par 3 holes, the player with honors can elect to hit last instead of first.  If he chooses this option, the person next in line for honors will hit first, and the others will hit in the same order they normally would.  Only the player with honors can choose not to hit in order.

 

 

IMPROVING LIE

 

  1. Improving your lie, also known as pooching, or playing the ball up, is permitted anywhere on the course at any time, with the exceptions noted in number 3 below.  Unless “lift, clean and place” rules are in effect, the ball may not be touched. 

 

  1. The basic character of the shot may not be changed.  For example, you can’t improve your lie from rough to fairway, or from rough to fringe around the green.

 

  1. Exceptions:  1) You can’t improve your lie in a sand bunker unless the bunker is in untended condition – unraked, footprints, heavy dirt or clay instead of sand, etc.  In those instances you may rake and place your ball (but no closer to the hole).  If uncertain as to whether those conditions apply, get concurrence from a fellow golfer. 2) Your lie may not be improved in a hazard, marked by red or yellow stakes. 

 

 

 LOST BALL

 

  1. A lost ball will be played as a lateral drop from the approximate spot ball was lost, no closer to the hole, with a 1 stroke penalty.  The drop should be approximately two club lengths, although it is not necessary to literally measure with 2 clubs to drop it. 

 

  1. The “Leaf rule” exception to the above is when a ball is hit into an area where  all players agree it should be findable, but additional time can’t be spent looking for it.  Examples of areas where this would apply are: normal to deep rough (but not tall chi-chi weeds or wild grasses); lightly wooded tree line (but not thick stands of trees, woods, or base of evergreens); or areas where fallen leaves are thick.  For this rule to apply, the ball must rest in the parameters of the hole being played.  A ball hit into any area of an adjacent hole which can’t be found, will be treated as lost under number 1 above.

 

  1. Not more than 5 minutes should be taken to look for a lost ball; less, if being pushed by the group behind or having been warned to speed up pace of play.

 

  1. If a player concludes his ball is lost, drops a ball per # 1 above and hits a new ball taking a penalty stroke, and his original ball is subsequently found before he has hit the dropped ball again, he shall play the original ball, as if it had been found before declaring it lost, without penalty. 

 

 

MAXIMUM SCORE

 

  1. The maximum score to be taken on any hole during a Guy’s golf round is 10.  To avoid holding up play by his playing partners, or the group behind, the player should pick up after 9 strokes, or pick up at any point during a blow-up up hole and record a 10.  If a player elects to not finish a hole out of frustration or any other reason, his score on that hole will be a 10.

 

 

MULLIGAN/BREAKFAST BALL

 

1.    A “Breakfast Ball” is allowed, on the first tee only, of all Guys golf rounds and outings.  The breakfast ball is an optional second tee shot; either of the two shots may be used, to be decided when the player has reached the balls and decided which he prefers to play.  There are no restrictions on the use of the breakfast ball, although players are discouraged from hitting a second shot if the first ball was well struck and in the fairway.  However, this is the individual player’s choice.  There is no requirement to use the same club for both shots.

 

2.    Other than rule # 1, there are no mulligans, do-overs, or any other optional/additional shots permitted during the round.

 

3.    The breakfast ball does not apply to scrambles.

 

 

RELIEF

 

1.    A player will receive free relief from various man-made,  artificial or decorative obstacles, movable and immovable, including, but not limited to the list below:

 

-   cart path

-   sprinkler

-        Fences (except as in #2 below)

-        railings

-        walls

-   mulched area under trees

-   decorative rocks or boulders

 

The player gets one club length from the point of relief, which is the nearest spot, no closer to the hole, where neither the ball nor the player’s stance is in or affected by the obstruction.  Note that the player’s swing may still be obstructed or limited after taking this relief.  In the event that the ball can’t be moved away from the hole without putting the ball in a hazard or giving the player a penalizing lie (e.g. on cart path to right of #3 at Palmira) the ball will be moved to the nearest spot where the player has an unimpeded lie, without moving the ball closer to the hole to the extent possible.

 

2.    Relief from any fence that forms the outer boundaries of the course and is designated as out of bounds, will result in a 1 stroke penalty.  This is in essence taking an unplayable lie.  The player is entitled to two club lengths from the fence, no closer to the hole, adding one stroke.  Relief from a fence in the interior of the course will be taken, penalty-free, as described in number 1 above.


 

 

TEE SELECTION

         

  1. In deciding which set of tees to play from a combination of slope and yardage will be the determining factors.  Generally, a slope rating between 115 and 125, and yardage of 5700 to 6000 is considered appropriate for the majority of players in the Guys group.  If a course has “senior” tees which fall within these parameters, those would normally be the set used.  A hybrid, combining different sets of tees for different holes to achieve the desired yardage may also be used.  Ideally, the tees to be used will be decided by a consensus of players.

 

  1.  Notwithstanding number 1 above, the event host/organizer/commissioner  - defined as the guy making the tee times and rounding up the players -  will make the final determination as to which set of tees are to be played. 

 

  1. A player may choose to hit from tees further back than those selected by the host or player consensus.  He may exercise this choice for the entire course or for as many holes as he wishes.  For purposes of record keeping and “gold bar” awards on the official Guys website, there will not be separate awards or recognition for players who chose to use a different set of tees.

 

MISCELLANEOUS RULES

 

1.   Forced Carry – For a forced carry over a horizontal hazard – when there is no designated drop area on the other side – the maximum number of balls to be hit into the hazard shall be two.  After hitting 2 balls into the hazard, the player should drop on the other side, two club lengths from the edge of the hazard, hitting 5.  Although it is discouraged, a player may choose to ignore this rule and “Tin Cup” the hole, continuing to hit from the same spot until the hazard is cleared or 5 shots are hit into it, at which time the player would pick up with the maxiumum allowable score of 10.  This rule does not apply to lateral hazards.