Should Golf Clubs Expand Their Winter Rules? 7 Suggestions That Make Perfect Sense

As the clocks go back and the weather turns for the worse, golf becomes a slightly different game in the UK. The courses are quieter, but the weather tends to be louder and more exacting.

Course conditions alter as the ground becomes wetter, lies become worse, putting becomes tougher as greens become bumpier and, generally speaking, the challenge ramps up.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at a selection of the Model Local Rules that clubs could consider implementing over the winter months. I also have a suggestion for a Model Local Rule I’d like to see introduced!

So, what can be done? Clubs can look to The Rules to combat those extra difficulties that winter throws up for golfers.

The Model Local Rules (MLR) section of the complete version of the Rules of Golf gives various options for clubs and committees to implement to deal with changing or altered playing conditions.

Many clubs/committees will already do this but it’s possible to put a set of formal Local Rules in place for winter and make them applicable between two dates – Say from 1^st November to 1^st March.

It’s also possible for a committee to add Local Rules if and when they would be applicable.

Some of the standing MLR’s are fairly well used, others less so. Many are only applicable for use at club level/social golf rather than the elite level.

Some may impact on whether a score can be submitted for handicapping under the World Handicap System (committees should check with their national union on that one.) That’s for a different article!

This is really some guidance for clubs looking to expand their winter Rules to allow for play to continue fairly and equitably through the colder months.

1. Preferred Lies

Let’s start with an obvious one. When the ground is sodden or has been changed throughout the general area by weather conditions, the committee can use Model Local Rule E-3 to allow a player to prefer their lie to protect fairways and closely mown areas.

The advice is that preferred lies are only given on closely mown areas to prevent players being given an advantage when they are in an unplayable spot (like, for instance, they’re in a bush!)

The Rule can be used to offer relief on all fairways and areas cut to fairway height or less, or it can specify a particular area (maybe a low point where it’s very wet.)

The committee can specify a relief area in which a ball being “preferred” must be placed… Score card length or six inches for instance.

2. Cleaning Your Ball

MLR E-2 can also be used when the ground is wet in winter. It allows a player to lift, clean and replace the ball without penalty. The recommendation is that this MLR should be considered before the preferred lies option is implemented.

This MLR can be restricted to specific areas or applied throughout the general area.

3. Relief from aeration holes

Normally a player would not get relief if their ball ends in an aeration hole on the putting green or in the general area. MLR E-4 allows for that to happen. It allows a player to take relief under Rule 16.1 (abnormal course conditions).

4. Temporary Greens

Sometimes in winter, certain or all greens at a club will be replaced by temporary surfaces.

If that happens MLR D-2 should be used. Within that, the committee can define which holes have temporary greens and it effectively takes the normal putting green on those holes out of play.

That makes the normal surfaces “wrong greens” and they must not be played from (even putted off) – If a player were to play from a regular green back to a temporary green with MLR D-2 in place, they would receive the general penalty for “playing from a wrong place.”

5. Fairway Mats

To protect parts of the course, MLR E-12 can be used by a committee to require players to play from a mat if their ball comes to rest on a defined part of the course (generally the fairway.)

It’s recommended that the requirement is - when the ball comes to rest on grass cut to fairway height or less and that the mat is not required when the player is making a stroke with the putter.

6. Stroke and distance alternative

This is really for pace of play purposes and for casual golf only – MLR E-5 allows a committee to introduce an option for players to drop under penalty of two strokes within a relief area from a reference point at a spot where a ball is lost or has gone out of bounds.

If, in winter, the ground on a course became very wet and boggy and players were frequently losing balls because they landed and went below the surface, E-5 could be used to allow them to drop at an estimated point under penalty of two shots rather than walking back to play again.

7. Abnormal Course Conditions

Within section F of the MLR section there are various provisions for creating Local Rules to deal with conditions that may arise in the winter.

There’s an MLR to extend ground under repair to areas where flood damage has occurred – F-5, there’s one to deal with the seams in cut turf where winter greens work may be ongoing – F-7, and (for me most importantly) one to allow committees to define flooded bunkers as ground under repair. That’s F-16.

The R&A and USGA are constantly reviewing and regularly updating the Rules of Golf and they have every scenario covered for winter golf.

But they won’t rest on their laurels, and they will always consider options for improving the Rules that impact winter golf.

If I were to make a suggestion for a possible Model Local Rules that could be considered, I would say maybe:

Within section J. I would like to see a provision allowing players to make the decision to abandon play in bad weather. Often clubs are quieter in the winter and the committee might not be around to make the call.

Rather than players having to wait to be told that the place is unplayable, an MLR that allows them to make a reasonable decision to abandon play would be useful.