We revised and clarified some rules of play for 2025. This is a brief summary. For more details CLICK HERE. For the full details on our rules – CLICK HERE There are links to examples.
WRONG BALL
Any player hitting a WRONG BALL is now required to take a 1 stroke penalty. In addition, if your ball was hit (WB) by another player, you may be allowed relief from declaring a Lost Ball.
All this can be TOTALLY ELIMINATED if everyone marks their balls AND pays attention to identify their ball BEFORE hitting.
BUNKER Relief
We clarified all the options available for relief (free drops and penalty relief) in bunkers for unplayable balls, abnormal conditions in the bunker, completely unplayable bunkers, or if you simply don’t want to play out of a bunker (2 penalty strokes).
Back-On-The-Line Relief – Penalty Areas, OB, and Abnormal Conditions
In many cases dropping the ball withing 2 club lengths from where the ball crossed the boundary of Out of Bounds or Penalty area will work well for penalty, OB and abnormal conditions
However, Back-On-The-Line Relief (from the hole through the ball -going forward to the hole) is an important optional relief method for out of bounds, relief from penalty areas or abnormal course conditions.
THIS IS NOT LINE OF FLIGHT from the last stroke. LINE OF FLIGHT IS NOT/NEVER ALLOWED AS A RELIEF OPTION. This is a big source of confusion for many golfers.
Questions or comments and volunteers are always welcome.
If you are committed to getting the Rules just right, you can join us on the Rules Committee. Tell you Division VP. He will forward your name and interests.
Will you explain, why no tee-time for teams of three?
Gene,
Contact you Div 5 VP Bill Molz.
I don’t think Bill has access to this app.
Joe Lerch
On bunker play so if the bunker is completely unplayable for what ever reason you take it out of the bunker it’s a 2 stroke penalty?
Actually the bunker rules in USGA and Metro Seniors are very flexible depending on actual conditions. This is where actually understanding the rules could save you a stroke or even 2. Unfortunately – flexibility comes with some complexity.
USGA ABNORMAL CONDITIONS
If a bunker is “COMPLETELY UNPLAYABLE” for any reason, you are allowed a free drop, Back-On-The-Line outside the bunker. In USGA rules this is defined as an “abnormal condition” – but this means a COMPLETELY UNPLAYABLE BUNKER. There is NO playable spot anywhere in the bunker – NONE.
If you ball landed in an “abnormal condition area in the bunker but there IS a playable spot, USGA allows a free drop IN THE BUNKER – but please read the rule and look at the diagrams. If you chose to drop outside the bunker (Back-On-The-Line) you would incur a 1 stroke penalty (because there was a playable position in the bunker).
BUNKERS DECLARED UNPLAYABLE
If Metro Seniors (DVP) or the course declares that conditions are such that BUNKERS are NOT PLAYED and you land in a bunker, you get a FREE DROP – outside the bunker , Back-On-The-Line. You must still play across the bunker.
PLAYABLE BUNKERS
A 2 stroke penalty occurs when a player lands in a playable position in a playable bunker and then decides to NOT PLAY FROM THE BUNKER.
There is also an “UNPLAYABLE BALL” – this is where a player can at any time declare his ball unplayable anywhere on the course. Example – buried in rocks, in a gulley, or a bush, or plugged deep in the side of a bunker. An “UNPLAYABLE BALL” is a 1 stroke penalty if the ball is dropped withing 2 club lengths in the same area (rough or bunker). For an extra stroke, (now 2 strokes), the player may drop an Unplayable ball outside of a bunker – Back-On-The-Line.
Note this is NOT the same as an “abnormal condition” – standing water, sand washed out of a bunker.
USGA treats bunkers as an integral part of the challenge of course. Balls landing in bunkers are to be played from the bunkers. You are not charged a penalty for landing in a bunker. But playing from the bunker adds more challenge.
This is unlike other hazards or out of bounds. Red or Yellow hazards or Out of Bounds are penalty areas. Players are assessed a penalty removing their balls from these areas (penalty relief).
Players may NEVER play from an out of bounds position. Players may at their own peril play from Red or Yellow penalty areas. However, it is usually wiser to take penalty relief, especially since we play for fun.