97th Ernie Pieper Jr.
SANTA CLARA COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
Local Rules
GROUND UNDER REPAIR:
Defined by white lines.
DROP AREAS:
Hillside right of 6th Green: The hillside area to the right of the 6th green that is inbounds is deemed Ground Under Repair and a No Play Zone. Relief is mandatory. You have two options: (1) If you find your ball, you can drop under Rule 16 – one club length from nearest point of relief that is no nearer to the hole, or (2) Utilizing the Drop Circle that is in front of the green alongside the cart path – ball dropped must land and remain in drop circle.
Cart paths near green on the 6th and 18th holes and the retaining wall right of green on 6: If your ball has interference from these obstructions, you have the option of dropping under Rule 16 (this option may not be practical) or utilizing the drop circle. There are two drop circles on these holes. There is a white line on cart path. You are to use the drop circle that is on the side of the line that your ball lies. On 6, for instance, if your ball is on the side of the white line that is towards the front of the green, you are to use the drop circle before the green near the cart path.
COURSE BOUNDARIES:
Course boundaries are defined by white stakes and the inside edges of perimeter and maintenance yard fence posts at ground level. The driving range and all parking lots are Out of Bounds, as is the hillside to the right of cart path on the 6th hole. Note this change from last year. The Out of Bounds on the 6th hole has been moved partially up the hill from where it has been located for several years (immediately right of the cart path). The white stakes define the Out of bounds, not the edge of the cart path, and transition to the driving range side of cart path that goes to the upper tee for the 7th hole once it reaches that point.
PENALTY AREAS:
Red Stakes define Penalty Areas. Note: There is a drop circle option for balls entering the penalty area on the 17th hole located to the left. There is a drop circle for balls entering the penalty area short of the green. This drop circle cannot be used if closer to the hole where your ball crossed the margin of the penalty area.
EMBEDDED BALL:
Relief is allowed in all General Areas
STAKED TREES:
Staked trees are deemed immovable obstructions. Relief is permitted from the stake, guide wire, the tree, and the tree well without penalty.
PROTECTIVE SCREENS:
Protective screens are located on holes 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13, 17 and 18 (on the tee). They are considered immovable obstructions. With the exception of the screen protecting the 11th tee, shrubs, trees, and any other growth adjacent to protective screens are not considered part of the protective screen and therefore there is no relief from such growth.
For the screen behind the 11th tee, a player is entitled to relief from the screen and the Cypress trees immediately adjacent to and on the 10th tee side of the screen.
Line of sight relief is permitted only for any ball that is beyond the screen that is behind the 17th green when playing the 17th hole. Relief must be taken within the drop circle near the front of the 18th tee.
FLOWER BEDS:
Players are entitled to relief from flower beds. The former flower beds behind the 12th green and near the 17th tee are not flower beds from which relief is permitted.
Relief from the flower beds behind the 17th green shall only be taken in the drop circle near the front of the 18th tee. The ball must be found.
Flower bed to the left of the cart path that is adjacent to the 18th green: For this flower bed only, your ball does not need to be found but it needs to virtually certain that your ball went into the flower bed. If your ball is not found, relief must be taken from the drop circle located in front of and to the left of the cart path as you face that green.
SURFACED ROADS and PATHS:
Areas tying into artificially surfaced roads and paths and the two protective screens on the right of the cart path on the 17th hole are considered to be part of the cart path. Tan compacted surfaces leading to cart paths and walkways next to tees and greens are considered artificially surfaced.
SPRINKLER HEADS OR SIMILAR IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTION ADJACENT TO GREENS:
If you ball lies within (a) 2-club lengths of the immovable obstruction adjacent to a green, and the immovable obstruction is located within 2-club lengths of the green, and your ball is in the general area, and (d) the immovable obstruction interferes with your line to the hole, you may take relief. The relief area is nearest to where the obstruction can be avoided, plus one club length.
BUNKER LINERS:
All bunkers have a concrete type of substance to line the bunkers. While an effort has been made to make sure the bunker liners are sufficiently covered with sand so that your ball or stance will not be affected by the bunker liner, if your ball or stance is affected by the bunker liner, you are entitled to relief under Rule 16 (Abnormal Course Conditions). Note that a player who takes an abnormally deep stance in an attempt to reach the bunker liner will be subjected to the general penalty – 2 strokes.
DOUBT as to PROCEDURE:
If a rules official is not readily available, proceed under Rule 20.1 c (3), the former Rule 3-3. You must report utilizing this procedure to tournament officials at the scorer’s before verifying your score after the end of your round. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICES:
Distance measuring devices are permitted provided the device is not capable of measuring anything other than distance [i.e. does not measure wind, elevation, etc.]
ACCIDENTAL MOVEMENT OF A BALL ON THE PUTTING GREEN:
There is no penalty if a player, an opponent or either of their partners, caddies or equipment accidentally moves a ball or ball-marker on the putting green. Replace the ball on its original spot.
Rules Committee:
Kevin Bedolla (408-313-9817), Clark Fuller (925-580-1364), Don Chaisson (209-763-9573), Joe Calhoun (408-642-4234).