Local Golf Rules

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The following guidelines are to be read in conjunction with the ‘Rules of Golf’.

View Local Golf Rules as pdf

    1. 15cms preferred lie on closely mown areas of the golf course.

    2. 15cms preferred lie in The General Area of Hole 3, Hole 8 and Hole 17.

    3. 15cms preferred lie in the General Area for the Ladies on Hole 4.

    1. Ground beyond boundary fences, including all perimeter fences and walls.

    2. Cooks River – defined by steel retaining wall.

    3. Area beyond black/white posts at rear of Hole 13, left side of Hole 14, right of Hole 3, Hole 17, and Hole 18. 

    4. Clubhouse and greenkeeper compounds.

    5. Area beyond black/white posts at Eastern side of Visitors carpark between the golf course and Mahoney Reserve extending behind the Fifth, Seventh and Practice Zone Tees to the Cooks River.

  • Immovable Obstructions - further detail

    1. All internal wooden guide posts, guards, chains, roadway railings and marker stakes.

    2. All Sign Post, Disc Golf Baskets and Disc Golf signs. Free Relief is for stance and swing. No free relief for line of sight.

    3. All trees and shrubs under two (2) club lengths in height, and all staked trees and shrubs.

    4. Pump house on left side of fairway on Hole 16 (not line of sight).

    5. Cement, brick, stone, or wooden, tee & ornamental garden supports.

  • If an internal wire guard interferes with a player’s stance or the area of the player’s intended swing, the ball may be lifted and dropped in accordance with Rule 16.1b.

    Exception: External Boundary guards at Hole 3, 4, 11, 14, 15 and clubhouse side of Hole 18, no relief is permitted. Relief from struts supporting the guards is permitted.

    1. Bare patches on closely mown areas of the course.

    2. Areas defined by white lines, hoops or stakes.

    3. Bark chips at the base of trees are considered an integral part of the course. No relief is permitted, and the ball must be played as it lies. Mounds of Bark Chips or sand/dirt not at the base of a tree. Free relief under rule.16.1b

    4. Abnormal Course Condition at the top left of Hole 8 as defined by white stakes. If a ball is known or virtually certain to be lost in this area, then free relief as per Rule 16.1e.

    5. Hole 4 - If a ball is in the ground under repair including when it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found came to rest in the ground under repair, the player may: take free relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in the dropping zone [located near the base of the forward tee and to the right of the path] . The dropping zone is an additional relief area under Rule 14.3.

  • If a player’s ball is in the General Area and there is interference from exposed tree roots that are in a part of the area cut to fairway height or less or in the rough within one club-length of the edge of the fairway, the tree roots are treated as Ground Under Repair. The player may take free relief under Rule 16.1b. Interference does not exist if the tree roots only interfere with the player’s stance. Penalty for Playing Ball from a Wrong Place in Breach of Local Rule: General Penalty under Rule 14.7a.

  • A ball found coming to rest on a roadway or worn pathway (ie. entering or leaving a tee) may be dropped in accordance with Rule 16.1b, this includes the unsealed access roadway along the 17th fairway south of OOB to the clubhouse.

  • Drop Zones are 1 Club Length, either side, but no closer to the hole than from the "Drop Zone" sign.

    • Hole 1 and 2 – A ball coming to rest in the Abnormal condition near the Shipping containers MUST be dropped (without penalty) in the nearest Drop Zone.

    • Hole 2 and Hole 4 – A ball coming to rest in a garden or on the roadway or carpark at rear of these holes MUST be dropped (without penalty) in nearest Drop Zone.

    • Hole 5 - A ball coming to rest in the garden at the rear must be dropped in the Drop Zone.

    • Hole 11 – A ball coming to rest at the back of the green must be dropped in the Drop Zone.

  • A ball striking the directional disk/pole behind the 18th green, power poles and/or associated wires within the course must be replayed without penalty.

  • Hole 9 and Hole 17 – Red with green top marker stakes. Relief (NO PLAY ZONE in Red Penalty Area) must be taken – with penalty. Note: The player cannot play from this area - Rule 17.1e(1).

    Hole 18 - White with green top marker stakes signify NO PLAY ZONE. If a player’s ball is virtually certain to have entered this area, then Free Relief as per Rule 16.1f.

  • Match Play = loss of hole.

    Stroke Play = two (2) strokes.

Paper Scorecards

All paper scorecards must at least show both the numerical score in the ‘Player’ and ‘Marker’ columns and the marked ‘x’ autos reader score for each hole, and must be entered via the autoscore scanner, see image on the right.

In the event of a discrepancy between the written score and the autoscore box, the higher stroke score will count.

Coloured Markers Defined

Below is a definition of every marker stake you will find on Marrickville Golf Course.

  • White Stakes

    • with black top

    • with green top

  • Red Stakes

    • with green top

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White Stakes

These signify an Abnormal Course Condition. RULE 16 covers free relief that is allowed from interference from an Abnormal Course Condition. 

Abnormal Course Conditions are:

  • animal holes, 

  • ground under repair (GUR), 

  • immovable obstructions, 

  • temporary water. 

RULE 16 outlines when and how the player may take free relief by playing a ball from a different place, such as when there is interference by the above-mentioned Abnormal Course Conditions. Free relief is generally allowed except in a penalty area.

  • The player normally takes relief by dropping a ball in a relief area based on the nearest point of complete relief.

  • This rule also covers free relief when a player's ball is embedded in its own pitch mark in the general area.

  • RULE 16.1e covers relief for a Ball Not Found but is known or virtually certain that the ball came to rest in or on an Abnormal Course Condition, (GUR).

White Stake Locations:

  • Open drain RHS 1st fairway,

  • LHS 4th hole,

  • Garden bed at rear of 5th green

  • Drain pit RHS 6th hole,

  • Garden waste stockpile site LHS 8th hole,

  • Native garden RHS 9th hole,

  • Behind 9th green,

  • Open drainage channel 13th hole.

White Stakes with Black Top

These signify an area of the course classified as Out of Bounds. RULE 18 covers taking relief under penalty of stroke and distance when a ball comes to rest Out of Bounds.

Check the Local Rules to find out where there are Out of Bounds.

White Stake with Black Top Locations:

  • Native garden RHS 3rd hole from green to 4th tee,

  • Property border with Mahoney Reserve behind 6th green,
    5th tee, 7th tee and practice tee,

  • LHS of 14th fairway,

  • RHS 17th hole,

  • RHS 18th hole along clubhouse.

Red Stake with Green Top

These signify an Environmentally Sensitive Area.

Relief (No Play Zone in Red Penalty Area) must be taken - with penalty.

  • The player cannot play from this area - RULE 17.1e(1)

Red Stakes with Green Top Location:

  • Rain garden 9th and 17th holes.

White Stakes with Green Top

These signify an Environmentally Sensitive Area.

The player cannot play from this area - RULE 16.1f.

White Stake with Green Top Location:

  • Natural area behind 18th green

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Red Stake

These signify a red penalty area.

The definition of a ball in a red penalty area and the options available are explained by RULE 17.1.

Red Stake Location:

  • Pond in practice area

  • In front of the 18th tee

RISK WARNING

Recreational activities, including golf, involve a risk of physical harm. Any such harm may result from your actions, but also from the action, omission, or negligence from others. Marrickville Golf, Sporting & Community Club Ltd does not warrant the skill or prudence of any player & does not accept liability for any injury. Players assume all risks of the game.