Northwood Golf Club

Local Rules

amended August 2025

1.  Out of Bounds (Rule 18.2)

A ball is out of bounds when it is beyond any wall, fence, railing or hedge bounding the course and any areas marked by white posts and/or lines. Where both white posts and white lines are used the lines take precedence. All white posts are boundary objects.

2.  Penalty Areas (Rule 17)

Penalty areas are identified by red stakes. For ditches on the course, the penalty zone includes the area from the bottom of the ditch to the top of any slope that forms part of the natural course of the stream. Where painted lines are used, the lines define the margin of the hazard.

3.  Protection of Young Trees and Flower beds (Rule 16.1f)

All young trees, identified by being supported or protected by a stake or other device such as a tube or rabbit cage are no play zones.  If a player's ball lies anywhere on the course other than in a penalty area and it lies on or touches such a tree or such a tree interferes with the player's stance or area of intended swing, the player MUST take relief under Rule 16.1f.

4.  Abnormal Course Conditions (Rule 16.1)

A. Ground Under Repair (GUR) and No Play Zones (NPZ)

A player may take relief without penalty from any area identified by white lines as GUR.  Relief must be taken from any NPZ contained within a blue line. The bank immediately in front of the clubhouse is a NPZ.

Cracks in the ground in parts of the general play area cut to fairway height or less are GUR Therefore, if a player's ball comes to rest in a crack in the ground then the player may take relief under Rule 16.1b. Please Note: that interference does not exist if the crack only interferes with the player's stance. 

B.  Immovable Obstructions

a) Artificially-surfaced roads and paths are immovable obstructions and relief from interference by them is available under Rule 16.1.

b) All parts of the irrigation system that are not in a penalty area are deemed immovable obstructions whether fixed or not. This includes the wooden sump covers on holes 8 (short of the bank) and 16 (lower fairway just over the path).

c) The fairway yardage marker discs and supporting posts of bells on holes 4 and 16 are immovable obstructions and relief from interference by them is available under Rule 16.1.

d) The bells on holes 4 and 16.

e) The driving sheds between the 10th and 7th holes.

f)  Aeration holes.

g) Tyre ruts made by motorised equipment.

C. Road Crossing Hole 17

The road which crosses the hole 17, for the entire length of the knee rail fence, is an immovable obstruction. The knee rail fences are also immovable obstructions. The road and fences are treated as a single Abnormal Course Condition when taking relief under Rule 16.1b. If a player's ball lies within this area (including when it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in the area) the player has the following relief options. (1) Take free relief under Rule 16.1 or (2) as an additional option the player may take free relief by dropping the ball or another ball in the dropping zone which is situated short of the road, to the left of the footpath and marked by green stakes. The dropping zone is a relief area under Rule 14.3.

D. Immovable Obstruction Close to Putting Greens (Rule 16.1b)

In addition to the types of interference described in Rule 16.1a, when a ball lies in the general area, interference also exists if an immovable obstruction is: on the player's line of play, is within two club-lengths of the putting green, and is within two club-lengths of the ball.  The player may take relief under Rule 16.1b (Exception - There is no relief under this Local Rule if the player chooses a line of play that is clearly unreasonable). An artificial hole plug on a green is an Abnormal Course Condition and relief may be taken in accordance with Rule 16.1d.

E. Other teeing grounds during adverse/extreme weather conditions

When preferred lies are in place (see 5 below), grass teeing areas are No Play Zones and free relief must be taken in accordance with Rule 16.1f.

5.  Preferred Lies (When in force as specified on the Course Status)

When any part of a player's ball touches part of the general area cut to fairway height or less, the player may take free relief once by placing the original ball or another ball in and playing it from this relief area:

• Reference Point: Spot of the original ball.
• Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: 6 inches from the reference point, but with these limits:
• Limits on Location of Relief Area:
  • Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and
  • Must be in the general area.

In proceeding under this Local Rule, the player must choose a spot to place the ball and use the procedures for replacing a ball under Rules 14.2b(2) and 14.2e. But, for the purposes of applying Rule 14.2e, the player has only chosen the spot on which to place the ball once the ball has been set down, and the player has let the ball go with the intent for that ball to be in play.

After a ball has been placed and is in play under this Local Rule, if the player then proceeds under another Rule that provides relief, this Local Rule may be used again.

Penalty for Playing Ball from a Wrong Place in Breach of Local Rule: General Penalty Under Rule 14.7a

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF LOCAL RULES IS A GENERAL PENALTY

(loss of hole in  matchplay and 2 strokes in stroke play)

Note: Additional local rules of a temporary nature may be posted on the noticeboard from time to time.