Golf Glossary
Local Rules
In short
Local Rules are additional or modified rules that the Committee sets for a particular golf course or competition. They supplement the official Rules of Golf and apply together with them. Typical examples cover ground under repair, no play zones or preferred lies in winter. They are found on the scorecard, the notice board or the course website.
What are Local Rules?
The Rules of Golf from the R&A and USGA apply to every golf course in the world. But not every course is the same. A course may have a wetland, a sensitive new planting, a path that lies in play or a wet winter. The people in charge of a course are therefore allowed to adopt additional or adapted rules. These are called Local Rules.
The Rules themselves put it this way: ‘the Rules’ include not only the 25 official Rules of Golf but also the Local Rules that the Committee adopts for a course or competition. The Committee is the person or group in charge of the course or the competition, for example the club’s competitions committee.
Anyone playing a round must know the Local Rules. They apply like any other Rule and breaches are penalised.
Where are the Local Rules?
The Committee must make sure every player can become aware of the Local Rules. There are several usual ways:
- on the scorecard or a separate card handed out at the start
- on a separate sheet
- on the notice board in the clubhouse
- on the course website
In Germany, golf associations and clubs often issue a so-called hardcard for competitions. It contains the Local Rules and the most important competition information in short form.
A good tip for beginners: before your first round on a new course, read the Local Rules briefly. It takes a minute and avoids penalties. If you are unsure, ask at the office or the starter. For competitions, the conditions often refer to the Local Rules in force.
Typical examples of Local Rules
Most Local Rules fall into a few recurring groups. Examples are:
- Marking of the course: how are out of bounds, penalty areas and ground under repair marked?
- No play zones: areas from which play is not allowed, for example wetlands or freshly planted beds.
- Temporary obstructions: tents, scoreboards or barriers at competitions.
- Preferred lies: in very wet conditions or in winter, the ball may be lifted and placed on closely mown grass.
- Alternative to stroke and distance: for a lost ball or a ball out of bounds, play may continue for two penalty strokes from a defined area near where the ball was lost or went out.
- Protection of young trees: players must take relief if a staked young tree is in the way.
- Distance-measuring devices: under Rule 4.3 they are generally allowed, but a Committee can prohibit them by Local Rule for a competition.
- Temporary greens or tees: during building work or in winter the course may set substitute areas that then count as the normal green or tee.
Such rules often follow the model Local Rules in the Rules of Golf that a Committee may use.
What are the limits of Local Rules?
Local Rules may not change the Rules of Golf at will. The Rules include a separate part for Committees, Section 8 of the Committee Procedures. It sets out which Local Rules a Committee may use and how. A Local Rule that breaches the principles of the Rules is not permitted.
For beginners this means that Local Rules never replace the Rules of Golf entirely. They only deal with special features. And they must make sense. Preferred lies, for example, are only permitted when conditions justify them, such as wet weather or winter. Clearly limited rules for wetlands or building work are common.
Committees may also adopt their own codes of conduct for competitions, with penalties such as one stroke or the general penalty, and disqualification for serious misconduct. The rulebook provides a framework for that too.
Practical example: a ball in a wetland
Picture a par-4 hole of 330 metres. To the left of the fairway is a wetland that the course has marked with stakes as a no play zone. The Local Rule is printed on the scorecard: play from the zone is not allowed and relief is mandatory.
Your tee shot goes left and the ball ends up in the wetland. You may not play the ball from the zone. You take relief under the Local Rule and Rule 16.1. If the ball lies in the general area, you drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief, without penalty. If the zone is inside a penalty area, relief costs one penalty stroke.
A player who does not know the Local Rule and plays from the zone receives the general penalty of two strokes in stroke play. In match play they lose the hole.
Common mistakes and tips
Recurring beginner mistakes are:
- The Local Rules are not read. That can be expensive when a wetland or path is in play.
- Local Rules are confused with house rules, as explained in the next section.
- A rule from another course is applied to your own. Local Rules apply only to the course or competition they were adopted for.
- Stakes are misread. The colour of the stakes tells you what kind of area it is, and the Local Rules explain the rest.
A tip: photograph the scorecard or hardcard with the Local Rules before you start and read it again on the way round. If you are unsure, play two balls in stroke play and report the situation to the Committee before returning your scorecard.
Distinctions: Local Rules, house rules and terms of the competition
Local Rules are often mixed up with two other things. The house rules of the club govern behaviour on the premises, for example clothing, trolleys on certain holes or parking. A breach of house rules is not a breach of the Rules of Golf but may have other consequences.
The Terms of the Competition concern a single event: format, starting times, entry conditions and how ties are decided. They appear in the conditions of the competition.
Local Rules, by contrast, change or supplement the Rules of Golf themselves. They say, for example, what to do with a ball in a no play zone. Anyone playing a round should know all three: the Rules of Golf, the Local Rules and the house rules.
Try it at Golf Lounge
Local Rules matter as soon as you play a course with special features. The 9-hole ‘Black’ course at the Golf Lounge Resort Hamburg has water hazards, bunkers and protected greens. It is playable from April to December. There are also facility rules, such as the trolley ban on the courses from 1 November to 31 March. On Saturdays from May to October there is a 9-hole qualifying competition, and the conditions are set out for each tournament. The DGV Platzreife is required to play the course.
Frequently asked questions
What are local rules in golf?
Local Rules are additional or modified rules that the Committee sets for a particular course or competition. They apply together with the official Rules of Golf. Examples are rules for ground under repair, no play zones, temporary obstructions or preferred lies in winter.
Where do I find the local rules?
The Committee must make the Local Rules available to all players. They appear on the scorecard, on a separate sheet, on the notice board in the clubhouse or on the course website. Competitions often have a hardcard. If in doubt, ask at the office or the starter.
What happens if I breach a local rule?
A breach is treated like a breach of the Rules of Golf. Unless the Local Rule says otherwise, the general penalty applies: two strokes in stroke play or loss of hole in match play. For serious breaches the Committee can also disqualify a player.
What is the difference between local rules and house rules?
Local Rules change or supplement the Rules of Golf themselves, for example for a no play zone. House rules govern behaviour on the premises, such as clothing or trolleys. A breach of house rules is not a breach of the Rules of Golf but may have other consequences.
Can local rules change the Rules of Golf?
Only within the framework the Rules themselves provide. Section 8 of the Committee Procedures sets out which Local Rules a Committee may use. A Local Rule that breaches the principles of the Rules is not permitted. The Rules of Golf always remain the foundation.
As of: October 2026