House Rules Explaining common Model Local Rules by CHRIS LANG
TheRules
House Rules Explaining common Model Local Rules by CHRIS LANG
Peruse the 25 rules in the current Rules of Golf, and you won’ t find anything about a dropping zone on a par-3 hole over water or anything referring to preferred lies. Instead, those are Model Local Rules( MLRs) intended to speed up play, protect the golf course from severe weather, and simplify frustrating situations for everyday players.
The decision about whether to implement any Local Rules is made by the“ Committee,” which is the person or group in charge of a particular competition or course. In the context of casual everyday play, this person or group varies by course but often includes the golf professional and / or superintendent. The Local Rules in use at a course can be communicated in different ways but are often found on the scorecard or posted somewhere in the clubhouse.
Let’ s look at some of the most common MLRs that come into play during a round.
MLR E-5: ALTERNATIVE TO STROKE AND DISTANCE FOR LOST BALL OR BALL OUT OF BOUNDS Say you’ re a 20 + handicapper. You hit your fair share of good shots, but the bad ones still creep in from time to time. You post up at a par 5 and let it rip, only to watch helplessly as the ball slices hard right, well beyond out-of-bounds stakes.
With no MLR in place, you only have one choice in playing your next shot: stroke and distance. Go back to the tee and hit it again.
With MLR E-5 in play, however, a player can establish a reference point by estimating where the ball crossed OB. From that reference point, you take the ball out to the nearest fairway of the hole being played and drop it two club lengths from the edge of the fairway, no closer to the hole, for a penalty of two strokes. The player is then hitting his fourth shot from the fairway.
This MLR was introduced to improve pace of play. If you hit a ball OB 225 yards away from the tee, it makes sense to hit your fourth shot using this MLR rather than going back to the tee, where you’ d be hitting your third shot with no guarantee that it would leave you with a safe fourth shot. Don’ t expect this MLR to be in play for high-level competitions, but it makes perfect sense for a casual Saturday round or a round featuring high-handicap players.
MLR F-5: IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTION CLOSE TO PUTTING GREENS AKA, the 2 + 2 rule. The VSGA uses this in most competitions, and it makes perfect sense for casual play as well. When a ball lies anywhere other than on the putting green, an immovable obstruction on the player’ s line of play is not, of itself, interference under Rule 16.1. Free relief is normally not allowed.
But if the aprons or fringes of putting greens are cut short enough that putting from off the green is likely to be a common choice of stroke, immovable obstructions( such as sprinkler heads) that are close to the putting green may interfere with such strokes. In that case, you can take free relief if your ball is within two club lengths of the green, and the sprinkler head is within two club lengths of your ball and in your line of play.
MLR E-1: DROPPING ZONES A dropping zone is a special relief area that may be adopted by the Committee. When taking relief in a dropping zone, the player must drop a ball in and have it come to rest in the dropping zone. Dropping zones should be considered when there may be practical problems with players using the normal relief options under a Rule. One of the most famous dropping zones is at the island green on the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass. Rather than trying to clear the water using stroke and distance, a player may choose to play their third shot from the dropping zone.
The player does not have to stand in the dropping zone when dropping the ball. When a player is using a dropping zone, the relief area is defined by that dropping zone and the ball must be dropped and come to rest in the dropping zone. If the dropping zone is defined by a line on the ground, the line is inside the dropping zone.
MLR E-3: PREFERRED LIES This MLR is designed to protect both the course and the player. When temporary abnormal conditions might interfere with fair play, the affected parts of the course can be defined as ground under repair. But adverse conditions such as heavy snows, spring thaws, prolonged rains, or extreme heat can sometimes damage the course or prevent use of heavy mowing equipment.
When such conditions are widespread on the course, the Committee can choose to adopt a Local Rule for“ preferred lies” to allow fair play or help protect some or all fairways. Such a Local Rule should be withdrawn as soon as conditions allow.
When in place, this MLR allows the player to lift, clean, and place the ball in a specified relief area. The reference point is the spot of the original ball, and the relief area is specified by the Committee, usually either a club length or the length of a scorecard, no closer to the hole.
Scan the QR code above to learn more about MLRs.
vsga. org J U LY / A UGUST 2026 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
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