Red Nine Rules

 

Red #1: On or over road is OB, you must hit another shot. 1 stroke penalty
Driving range rule – if your tee shot goes into the driving range, we play that as not OB. There are OB markers there but several years ago we found that it was unfair to players, starting a round especially, to have OB on both sides of the fairway. So we play that as a free drop, on a line of flight where your ball entered the driving range, not where it ended up but where it entered. You may drop in the rough next to the driving range and play your 2nd shot. Do NOT go into the driving range to look for your ball.

Red #2: On or over road and over the boundary fence is OB, you must hit another shot. Technically, this is also OB on both sides of the fairway but I have been in this league for 28 years now and I believe I have only seen one shot over the road on the left of #2 Red. The fence on the right comes into play much more than the road. If your ball is up against the boundary fence and still within bounds, you get a club length drop away from the fence, no penalty. If you have to reach through the fence to bring your ball back across to play it, that is OB and you should have hit a provisional. There is also a pond shortly after the teeing ground on the left, if your ball enters the pond, regular lost ball rules apply with 1 stroke penalty.

Red #3: On or over road where road is parallel to fairway is OB. This is basically from the corner near where the Pavilion is and going up along that road as you drive into the course. The beginning and end is marked on the pavement. As you know, many cars go by this area and if you ball lands on the other side of that road and is still visible, they do not want you hitting that ball back across that road for obvious reasons, it IS OB. Just as they don’t want you hitting from the Blue nine, back across the road to the Red nine and vice versa. You must hit another shot.
If your ball goes into the woods on the left side, and you cannot find it, lost ball rules apply. Take a drop on a line of flight in the rough where the ball entered the woods, 1 stroke penalty. If your ball goes into the pond, you may drop at the side of the pond after the ladies tee or you may tee it up again, 1 stroke penalty.

Just as a note, our bylaws also state that if you hit a ball towards an obvious out of bounds and you do not hit a provisional ball and you get up to the spot and find your ball is indeed out of bounds, that is a 2 stroke penalty. Although no one plays by that, it is stated. We do not have the time in league play to go up some 150 – 200 yards and look for your ball and then find it OB and then go back to the spot where you last hit from. We don’t have spotters. So you should hit a provisional ball if you think your first shot went OB. Sometimes it is up to one of the other guys in the foursome to speak up and say “I think that may have gone out of bounds maybe you better hit another ball just in case!” All of the OB areas will be covered in these emails each week.


Red #4: There are woods and water, lost ball rules apply. There is an electrical box in the right rough area up near the 150 yard marker. This is an immovable obstruction and you get a free one club length drop, nearest point of relief with stance and swing. If your ball ends up on the access road to the maintenance building (or next to the maintenance building itself) you may take a free drop in the rough no nearer the hole.

Red #5: There are woods and water, lost ball rules apply. As you get past the pond, there is out of bounds along the right hand side in people’s yards. There are also woods up on the hill on the right hand side, lost ball, line of flight there.
But if you hit towards the people’s yards, it is most times a blind shot and you may not be able to tell if your shot went OB. Hit a provisional if in doubt.

Red #6: woods along the left and further up along the right, line of flight applies.

Red #7: pond in front and woods along the right, lost ball rules apply.

Red #8: woods all up the left side and high rough on the righthand side, way right, lost ball and line of flight rules apply.

Red #9: All ponds are treated as lateral water hazards. No free relief from walls of pond.
If your tee shot carries the first pond but goes into the back pond back by our “tailgate area” there is a drop zone right there next to where everyone stands. It is the area, as you face the green, to the right of the big tree next to the green and the cart path. If your tee shot goes into the first pond you must hit another shot from either behind or to the side of the first pond. 1 stroke penalty for any pond shots of course.

To recap: there are OB situations on 1, 2, 3, and 5. Any OB is a 1 stroke penalty.
Hit a provisional if you hit a shot towards any of these and you are not sure.
If it is not OB, go up and drop on the line of flight your ball took into the woods or water!
Lost ball rules apply for a 1 stroke penalty.
Only exception is the driving range.