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RULES, CONSTITUTION
AND ETIQUETTE

RULES, CONSTITUTION
AND ETIQUETTE

Membership Rules of the Farmhouse Golf Society (FGS)

  1. To qualify to win any event, full FGS membership must have been paid and the player must have a valid FGS handicap. Each years membership fee will be advised in the AGM or annual update emails.
  2. Full payment for each event is required no less than 7 days in advance of the event from each player and guest. Members receive a discounted event fee.
  3. Any person joining on or after 1st August and before end of the current season, will have the membership fee adjusted by 50%.
  4. Each regular event is held over 18 holes for a Stableford Competition unless otherwise stated. The highest Stableford score is the winner.
  5. Any new member, whether joining at the start or midway through a season, will have to prove handicap ability.
  6. The Handicap Secretary will issue and manage handicaps. All methodologies used for this calculation are available on request from the Handicap Secretary.
  7. If a player has an official club handicap and a Society handicap, then they must play off of the lower of the two.
  8. You must mark someone else's card and not your own. Mark your playing partner’s number of shots only and leave the Stableford score blank on the card for assessment by the officials at the end of the game. Both you and the person whose card you have marked should sign it at the end of the round to confirm the score is correct.
  9. In the event of a tie the best score for the last 9 holes will be used. If still a tie the last 6 will be used and then the last 3 holes until an outright winner is found.
  10. Guests playing on the day will not be able to win any trophies or prizes for placing. However, at the Committee’s discretion they are entitled for any of the Nearest the Pin [and derivatives] and Longest Drive awards.
  11. The Society operates an order of merit throughout the year known as “The Race to Dorking”. Some players may not be able to attend every Society event and so the best four scores of each player are used to calculate the order. Full FGS membership must have been paid to qualify for The Race To Dorking.
  12. Society Events and Competitions will be played under R&A Rules of Golf.
  13. When playing in a Society Competition, members should adhere to all rules of the host Golf Club (usually be found on the reverse of the scorecard).
  14. The standards of dress code and behaviour on the courses must be maintained at the highest level.
  15. Any objections or complaints about the event in which you partake should be raised with the lead Committee member on the day of the event. The Captain will then investigate and decide on what action, if any, needs to be taken.
  16. Failure by a member to attend a society event having previously committed to do so, and without notification to a Committee member at least 7 days before of the start of an event, will result in that member being charged fully for the green fee and any associated costs (e.g. food). Every effort will be made to recoup costs with the course and will be returned, however this cannot be guaranteed.
  17. It is the responsibility of the member to ensure they have sufficient insurance for all eventualities.

Playing Rules of the Farmhouse Golf Society

Unless otherwise specified by an Event Venue's own "Local Rules", we abide by the standard rules of golf as set out by the R&A. The following rules are highlighted as the most common penalty issue raised.
Yellow Staked Penalty Areas
If your ball is in a penalty area (yellow stakes and/or lines) you may play the ball as it lies or, under penalty of one stroke:
  1. play a ball from where your last shot was played, or
  2. drop a ball any distance behind the penalty area keeping a straight line between the hole, the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard and the spot on which the ball is dropped.
Red Staked Penalty Areas
If your ball is in a lateral penalty area (red stakes and/or lines), in addition to the options for a ball in a penalty area (see above), under penalty of one stroke, you may drop within two club-lengths of, and not nearer the hole than:
  1. the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the penalty area , or
  2. a point on the opposite side of the penalty area equidistant to the hole from the point where the ball last crossed the margin.
Provisional Ball
If, after playing a shot, you think your ball may be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds you should play a provisional ball. You must announce that it is a provisional ball and play it before you go forward to search for the original ball. If the original ball is lost (other than in a penalty area) or out of bounds, you must continue with the provisional ball, under penalty of one stroke. If the original ball is found in bounds, you must continue play of the hole with it, and must stop playing the provisional ball.
Lost Ball
You are allowed 3 minutes to search for a ball. If it is not found within that 3 minute period, it is lost. If a ball is lost in normal play (outside of a penalty area and not out of bounds) and no provisional ball has been played, the player has two options:
  1. Return to the previous spot and replay the shot, under penalty of one stroke.
  2. Drop a ball at an agreed location with your playing partner, on the fairway, as close as possible to where the ball was last seen, and continue play, under penalty of two strokes ("Stroke AND Distance"). NOTE: If the ball is lost in the rough, the ball should be dropped on the fairway, within 2 club lengths of the first cut.
Preferred Lies (Fairway Damage - Year Round)
In addition to any local rules for the course, should your ball come to rest on the general area cut to fairway height, in a damaged area (such as a fairway divot), or is plugged in the fairway, the player may take free relief by placing the original ball and playing it from this relief area:
  1. Reference Point: Spot of the original ball
  2. Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: six (6) inches from the reference point, but with these limits:
  3. Limits on Location of Relief Area:
    1. Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and
    2. Must be in the general area.
This rule does not apply where the ball comes to rest on the fairway in normal condition

Constitution of the Farmhouse Golf Society

Objective

We are a friendly and sociable golf society based out of The Farmhouse Pub in Horley. We play Stableford competitions at a number of courses in the South East throughout the year plus a Christmas Scramble in December.

We are always looking for new members to join us and welcome people with all levels of experience. It doesn't matter if you're already a member of a club or not, some of our people only play within the society, whilst others are active members of one of the local clubs. For us, being a member of a society is a fun way to play a bit of golf, meet a few of the locals and to try a number of different courses over the year.

For the Society playing golf is a source of great pride and pleasure so naturally we wish every golfer who plays with us to enjoy their game to the full. Making yourself aware of the rules of golf will avoid any embarrassment to you or to the officials and members of the Society.

Membership

Membership shall be open to any person wishing to abide by the Constitution and the Rules as prescribed by the Farmhouse Golf Society.

All applications should be completed online. Membership fees must be paid by Electronic Bank Transfer (BACS) alongside your event fee for the first event attended. Details can be found on any Farmhouse Golf Society email, or by request. The committee shall determine acceptance of membership.

To manage the money collected a dedicated FGS Bank account will be managed by the Captain and the Treasurer of the Society. The accounts will be audited twice a year by the Treasurer who will produce a schedule of profit & loss and events summery at the AGM.

If a member receives a valid complaint about their behaviour during a Golf Club event or from another member, they will get one written warning. If a second valid complaint is made, the member will be removed from the society. They have the right to appeal, but the committee's decision is final. If a member is removed, they cannot participate in future society events, and their membership fee will not be refunded.

The Society Committee reserves the right to refuse or suspend any membership at any time.

Etiquette

All members should be aware of, and follow, the Rules of Golf (as laid down by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews), the Constitution and Rules as prescribed by the Farmhouse Golf Society.

It is important that members are up to date with the rules of golf as changes are made from time to time. It is also important to check the local rules on the score card to identify the boundaries of the course before you play.

Society Etiquette

  1. If you are unable to score any Stableford points with your next shot, please pick up your ball to reduce slow play.
  2. Keep up with the group in front.
  3. There are no gimmes; the ball must be putted out.