GBGC Local Rule

Its October, winter is coming and nothing can stop it, but before winter does arrive we are hoping for plenty of glorious autumn sunshine to help us get out onto the fairways to enjoy our wonderful game on our wonderful course.

Hopefully we can avoid any cold snaps in the very near future, but whilst we dig out our waterproofs and hedgehog wheels ready to embrace the autumn and winter golfing season, it’s important we take a look at the local rule that is put in place at most golf courses at this time of year.  This local rule is of course “Preferred Lies” which sometimes are referred to as “Winter Rules”.

The purpose of preferred lies are to protect areas of the course cut to fairway height or less.  It also allows the player to clean their ball in the general area of play which makes for a better playing experience and keeping the game fun during the adverse weather conditions we face during the Autumn and Winter months.

However, it is easy for preferred lies to be misunderstood so we have created the following guide to help you best work out how to carry out the procedure.  The Great Barr Golf Club scorecard measures 146mm width so is a great tool to help you work out what is acceptable when making use of the preferred lie.

GBGC Preferred Lies

The official local rule document can be found here.  The Handicaps and Competitions committee kindly ask that you familiarise yourself with this local rule as from the 11th October 2019 the Winter Rules / Preferred lies will come in to play.

Of course, if you have any questions after reviewing the guide and consulting the official local rule document please ask at the Pro Shop or a member of the committee for advice.

Happy autumn/winter golfing!