In Florida we find many golf courses near houses or on a resort. We have Out of Bounds all over the place. In most cases the grass is very different between the golf course and the private lawns.
We must never determine if our ball is out of Bounds by the type of grass. This is only possible for the limits of a penalty area.
How do we determine where our ball lies?
We must use a virtual line between two white stakes. From my experience, all the golf courses in Florida have white stakes, fences or roads. If part of the ball touches inside the course the ball is in play.
Without white stakes or a fence, we should consider our ball in play.
When the limit of a penalty area coincides with an Out of Bounds
I said previously that we can’t use the different type of grass to determine the boundary of an Out of Bounds. Even if we see white stakes on the ground, near the water it is very difficult to see exactly where our ball landed in the water and figure out if the ball entered the water in or out with the imaginary line.
If you see the ball hit the surface of the water, you may consider that the ball is in the penalty area as long as it is without doubt the ball did not skip out of the water.
Ball crosses an out of bounds road and ends up on another part of the course
In Florida, all the golf courses have adopted the Florida State Golf Association (FSGA) local rules. Those local rules
FSGA: local rules 2020 When a paved road or curb defines out of bounds, a ball that is on or beyond the road or curb is out of bounds even though it may lie on another part of the golf course.
We also have that local rule for all the Golf Quebec sanctioned tournaments but most of the golf club don’t specify that they use the Golf Quebec local rules.
LOCAL RULES
Before the start of the season, I will try to explain all the local rules that should be in effect in all the golf courses.
Next week
– Drains and sprinklers near a green
– Edging grooves near putting green
– Artificial walls and pilings (bunkers and penalty areas)