LOCAL RULES
The Hideaway Country Club March 2025
1.PENALTY AREAS- One stroke penalty.
Relief from all penalty areas should be played laterally. Penalty area margins are defined by red stakes, lines or the grass edge. Rocks surrounding ponds are part of the penalty area. Drop two club lengths from the point of entry to the penalty area, no closer to the hole, or use drop areas detailed below.
2. DROP AREAS- Designated drop areas available on the holes below. One stroke penalty.
- #’s 2&3. Between ponds -for red/black tee players only.
- #3. Over the green NO PLAY ZONE beyond the White/Green capped stakes. Players may use drop area if desired or a drop cannot be made that is no closer to the hole.
- #12 Past and left of the pond. Red tee players only after second shot.
- #18 Players may drop in the designated drop area adjacent to the red tees.
The penalty area on the left side of #15 begins at the left edge of the cart path and extends to infinity. If your ball is in contact with the pavement you are entitled to free relief. If the ball does not have contact with the pavement, it is in the penalty area and not entitled to cart path relief for stance or swing. You may play the ball as it lies with no penalty or take penalty relief with a one stroke penalty. Free Relief or Penalty Relief may be extended beyond two club lengths to the nearest point of complete relief right of the cart path that is not closer to the hole than the penalty area entry point.
3 .OUT OF BOUNDS (OOB) -Defined by property fencing and white stakes, includes stakes surrounding all condo property and white stakes on the right side of #4, #8, and #16. Stakes on right of #17 are NOT OOB. DO NOT HIT FROM CONDO PROPERTY.
4. LOST BALLS AND BALLS OOB – Stroke and Distance.
The Hideaway also endorses the USGA’s MLR E-5. Two stroke penalty. Instead of stroke and distance, players may drop between the last boundary crossing or where ball was estimated to be lost. The drop may be made up to two club lengths beyond the nearest fairway edge, no closer to the hole, and as far back as desired. Use of a provisional eliminates this option. Visual representations of this rule follow on the
5. FREE RELIEF Allowed from all paved surfaces within the confines of the course. In addition, relief is allowed on the unpaved paths on 5,7,12, and 17. Rocks surrounding unpaved paths are part of the path and merit free relief.
Ground under repair (GUR) is defined by white paint, stakes or flags.
Free relief is not allowed in other unpaved waste areas. No free relief from OOB fences or stakes.
6. GOLF CARTS
-Should be kept on the path on all par 3’s.
-Please keep all 4 wheels on paths around tees and greens.
-Players with disability flags may proceed past the red fairway exit stakes and off the cart path on Par 3’s. - ALL CARTS should be kept 30 ft from greens, 10 feet from all bunkers, and off steep slopes.
-ALL CARTS should remain on paths only when the Course is declared CPO-Cart Path Only.
MLR E-5 Alternative to Stroke and Distance for Lost Ball or Ball Out of Bounds
Purpose. When a provisional ball has not been played, significant issues with pace of play can result from a player needing to take stroke-and-distance relief for a ball that is out of bounds or cannot be found. The purpose of this Local Rule is to allow a Committee to provide an extra relief option that allows a player to play on without returning to the location of the previous stroke.
The Local Rule is appropriate for general play where golfers are playing casual rounds or playing their own competitions. The Local Rule is not appropriate for competitions limited to highly skilled players (that is, professional competitions and elite amateur competitions). For guidance on when and how this Local Rule may be used in order for acceptable scores to be submitted for handicap purposes, consult the rules or recommendations contained within the World Handicap System publications or the other guidance as provided by the handicapping body in the local jurisdiction.
Where a Committee has introduced such a Local Rule for general play, and removes it for competitions, it should ensure that all players are aware of this before play begins.
A Committee may introduce such a Local Rule for all play on the course or only for one or two specific holes where it may be especially useful (for example, where players are unable to see the landing area and therefore may not know whether or not to play a provisional ball).
This option allows the player to drop in a large area between the point where the ball is estimated to have come to rest or gone out of bounds and the edge of the fairway of the hole being played that is not nearer the hole.
The player gets two penalty strokes when using this relief option. This means that the relief is comparable to what could have been achieved if the player had taken stroke-and-distance relief.
This Local Rule cannot be used for an unplayable ball, or for a ball that is known or virtually certain to be in a penalty area.
If a provisional ball is played and neither the original ball nor the provisional ball are found, then the Local Rule may be applied for the provisional ball that cannot be found.
Model Local Rule E-5
“When a player’s ball has not been found or is known or virtually certain to be out of bounds, the player may proceed as follows rather than proceeding under stroke and distance.
For two penalty strokes, the player may take relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in this relief area (see Rule 14.3):
Two Estimated Reference Points:
a. Ball Reference Point: The point where the original ball is estimated to have:
- Come to rest on the course, or
- Last crossed the edge of the course boundary to go out of bounds.
b. Fairway Reference Point: The point of fairway of the hole being played that is nearest to the ball reference point, but is not nearer the hole than the ball reference point.
For purposes of this Local Rule, “fairway” means any part of the general area cut to fairway height or less.
If a ball is estimated to be lost on the course or last crossed the edge of the course boundary short of the fairway, the fairway reference point may be a grass path or a teeing ground for the hole being played cut to fairway height or less.
Size of Relief Area Based on Reference Points: Anywhere between:
- A line from the hole through the ball reference point (and within two club-lengths to the outside of that line), and
- A line from the hole through the fairway reference point (and within two club-lengths to the fairway side of that line).
But with these limits:
Limits on Location of Relief Area:
- Must be in the general area, and
- Must not be nearer the hole than the ball reference point.
Once the player puts a ball in play under this Local Rule:
- The original ball is no longer in play and must not be played.
- This is true even if the ball is found on the course before the end of the three-minute search time (see Rule 6.3b).
But the player may not use this option to take relief for the original ball when:
- That ball is known or virtually certain to have come to rest in a penalty area, or
- The player has played another ball provisionally under penalty of stroke and distance (see Rule 18.3).
A player may use this option to take relief for a provisional ball that has not been found or is known or virtually certain to be out of bounds.