LOCAL RULES for Dorset Golf Club Competitions

(To be read in conjunction with the R & A Rules of Golf)

Effective from Friday March 10, 2023.

1. Out of Bounds (Rule 18-2)
   (a) Defined by boundary fences and all other areas by white stakes with black tops.
   (b) The white stakes with black tops on the Left of the 1st & 5th fairways, defining the Green Keepers area, mark as O.O.B.
   (c) Protective Netting on the Left of the 4th & 13th fairways mark as O.O.B
2. ABNORMAL GROUND CONDITIONS – Includes Immovable Obstructions (Rule 16-1)
   (a) Protective Netting on the Left of the 3rd fairway and on the Right of the 9th tee.  When ball is behind the netting, relief must be taken. Relief may be taken when interfering with stance or swing. Protective Netting on the Right of the 8th tee, relief may be taken when interfering with stance or swing.
   (b) No Garden Areas of the Dorset Golf Course are considered Garden Beds, irrespective of any area(s) bordered with rocks, sleepers, concrete or rope.
   (c) Sprinkler Heads in the line of play, within 2 club lengths of the Putting green and within 2 club lengths of the ball.
   (d) All Earthworks, in the General Area, are GUR, relief must be taken.
   (e) All Roads and Paths, relief may be taken.
   (f) Embedded Stones and Drainage Ditch, in the General Area, relief may be taken.
   (g) Spare hole covers on the Putting Green.
   (h) Small Trees and Shrubs (must have been planted) under 2 club lengths high, relief must be taken.
3. MOVEABLE OBSTRUCTIONS (Rule 15-2)
   Hoops & Ropes (Please ensure they are replaced.
4. PENALTY AREA (Rule 17-1)
   The Penalty Area & No Play Zone near 11th Green and 12th tee (defined by Yellow/Black striped stakes) is a prohibited area and must be treated as a Red Penalty area from the 11th tee and as a Yellow Penalty area from the 12th tee. If your ball lies inside the No Play Zone you must take a penalty drop.
5. 12th Hole Teeing Area – Male Members:
   1) ALL MALE MEMBERS MUST play from the current tee area, within the width of the Blue Discs, in all Club competitions.
   2) In the event that your ball lands in the hazard in front of the tee box, then the member can either:
   (a)  choose to re-hit from the tee area or:
   (b)  drop a ball in the drop zone, which is defined between the yellow bricks on the Ladies teeing area, to the left of the hazard.
   3) Members choosing to play from within the drop zone will be playing their 3rd (third) shot. The ball is to be dropped, not teed-up, in line with the Rules of golf.
   4) ALL male members have these options. It is not age related.

Any Breach of these Local Rules will incur a Penalty:
Loss of Hole in Match play, or a 2-stroke penalty in Stroke Play

Stake Definitions

• Yellow & Black Stakes: Regeneration Area – Play Prohibited
• Red Stakes: Lateral Water Hazard
• Yellow Stakes: Water Hazard
• White Stakes: GUR
• White Stakes, Black Tops: Out of Bounds (OOB)

1. All Competitions shall be played in accordance with the Rules of Golf subject to such local rules as are in force on the course over which the competition takes place.
2. The Match Committee has the responsibility to monitor and review all competitions and has full power to alter conditions of play should they deem desirable, and in potentially dangerous situations or unsuitable weather conditions, play may be modified, suspended or cancelled.
3. Players must be ready to start at the appointed time otherwise penalties may be applied by the Match Committee.
4. Caddies or accompanying persons are not permitted during a competition unless otherwise stated. (N.B. Exception – Dorset Star Medallist Playoff)
5. The Match Committee will arbitrate decisions on the rules of golf, and will consult with the VGL, or Golf Victoria as required.
6. All members must comply with the dress code of the Club.
7. Distance Measuring Devices may be used in any competition that the club holds. Please note that any Distance Measuring Device must conform to the Rules of Golf and must not be capable of measuring any other information that may be relevant to the stroke. They must not be capable of measuring slope, wind speed, wind direction, etc., even if this capability has been turned off for the round of Golf. For this reason, Mobile Phones with GPS capabilities are not acceptable measuring devices under the Rules of Golf.
8. Mobile phones should only be used in an emergency. If a player considers their mobile phone essential, the player must notify all others in the group and set their phone on “Silent”.
9. The Match Committee will monitor Slow Play and will apply penalties if necessary.
10. HEAT POLICY
    • The Golf Victoria Heat Policy developed in consultation with the Sports Medicine Australia, Sports Dieticians Australia and the Department of Health and Ageing, notes that in ambient temperatures of 36 degrees or above the risk of thermal injury is “Extreme”. Players are encouraged to either postpone their rounds to a cooler part of the day or cancel. On those days when the weather is forecast to exceed these guidelines all players should consider their need to play.
    • ANY DECISION TO PLAY WILL BE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH PLAYER.
    • Club Events: If, in the opinion of the Match Committee (or the person in charge on the day), the weather conditions are so extreme that stress or illness may occur, a decision will be made to modify, postpone or abandon the event.

Grading for Mens Competitions

The following table is a guide to Handicap grades that apply to regular Club competitions.  A minimum of four players is required to constitute a Grade or Division.

*  Applicable when there are less than 4 players in any of the Grades (A; B or C)

PACE OF PLAY AND ETIQUETTE REMINDERS

Members are requested to arrive at the first tee at least 10 minutes prior to their tee-time. Failure to do this may result in you losing your time and entry into the day’s competition.

Maroondah Leisure Members must register with the front desk at least 15 minutes prior to their tee time.  Failure to do so may result in your time being allocated to someone else.

Players shall play throughout their round without delay. Your Match Committee considers that a reasonable round of golf (stroke in 4s) breaches Rule 6-7 of the R & A Rules of Golf should it exceed 4 hours 20 minutes.

The Rules of Golf provide penalties for slow play.

YOUR POSITION IN THE FIELD IS IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE GROUP IN FRONT, NOT IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF THE GROUP BEHIND.

We are advocates of “READY GOLF” If you are ready, hit. PAY DUE RESPECT TO SAFETY ON THE FAIRWAY AND COURTESY ON THE GREEN.

Members playing outside Competitions MUST play off the WHITE tees.  The BLUE; RED and YELLOW movable tees are for use in DGC Inc. authorized competitions only.

ETIQUETTE REMINDERS:

• No one shall move, talk, use a mobile phone or stand close by or directly behind the ball or the hole when a player is addressing the ball or making a stroke.
• If a player considers their mobile phone essential, the player must notify all others in the group prior to commencing play and assist others by setting their phone on “Silent”.
• Members are expected to observe all matters of Golf Etiquette as described in the R & A handbook.
• Dorset Golf Club has a policy that members must not consume alcohol during competitions.  Members found to be consuming alcohol during competitions will be disqualified.

Score Card Validation

To be valid, a Scorecard MUST include the following information:

1. The Player’s Signature
2. The Marker’s Signature
3. The Player’s Handicap *
4. The correct number of strokes taken by the player for each Hole **

To keep the scorer happy, the card should also:

1. Include the Player’s Golflink number. (Last 3 digits for Dorset Members, full number for players where Dorset Golf Club is not their HOME club.)
2. Be legible and easy to follow.

Mistakes in adding up your score are not considered a reason for disqualification; the same applies to incorrectly converting Strokes to Points in Stableford or Par events. The Golflink Computer will correctly allocate points and total scores.  If there is a discrepancy between the Computer and the card, that is when we start to look closer at a card for a reason for the discrepancy.

Make sure that you and your Marker have the same number of STROKES recorded for every hole on which you score.

*   The Handicap noted for a player must be correct or less than the Player’s Official Handicap.  If the Handicap on the Scorecard is greater than the true Handicap then the player is disqualified.  If the Handicap on the Scorecard is lower than the true Handicap then the card is marked with the lower Handicap and the player is not disqualified.  If no Handicap is recorded then the player is disqualified.

**  The number of strokes is relevant only on holes that you wish to score.
For example:
In Stroke Play all holes must be scored on and the score recorded; failure to enter a score for a hole in Stroke play will result in Disqualification.  The score for a hole recorded by the Marker and the player must match or the player will be disqualified.
In Stableford and Par competitions it is acceptable to leave a hole blank, this will result in either a 0 (Stableford) or a -1 (Par) being recorded for that hole.  Do not just put down your points for the hole; this will result in either a 0 or a -1 being recorded, even if you should have made 4 points. You must have the number of strokes taken for a hole recorded to prove that you have allocated the correct number of points.

All Members are requested to take pride in the Club and maintain a responsible and decent standard of dress both on the course and in the club rooms.

Untidy and/or soiled clothing are not acceptable.

We ask Members to wear neat casual clothing, shirts with collars, no work wear, no tracksuits and no jeans.

When playing in major competitions and when representing the Club, Members must abide by the “Dress Rules of the V.G.L. and the W.V.G.L.” and wear approved golf clothing.

Head Gear must not be worn in the club rooms.  A fine of 50c will be payable if you are found so doing. Exceptions to this rule may be allowed by the permission of the General Committee.

• It is the responsibility of Members to be aware of and abide by the Liquor Licensing Laws at all times.  The Club will enforce the law when required, to protect all members of the Club.
• Liquor will only be served during hours proscribed by the License and only to those members and public who are over 18 years of age.
• Unruly and/or offensive behaviour (including bad or offensive language) will not be tolerated.
• Any person who is, or appears to be intoxicated will be refused service and may be asked to leave the club rooms.
• All Liquor must be consumed within the licensed area.