Golf Course Parts

You may feel that you know all about the different sections of a golf course. As far as the rules are concerned, there are four areas and you need to be very clear in your mind about the distinctions.

Many players immediately think of the fairway as one of the major areas of the course. But the Rules of Golf do not use the word, preferring to deal in terms such as 'closely mown areas'. There are good reasons for this -for example, the rules have to cover par-3 holes, where fairways do not normally exist.

The four areas of a golf course each have their own rules. In the order you come across them, these areas are the Teeing Ground, Through the Green, Hazards and the Putting Green.

The teeing ground
The teeing ground on a particular hole varies from day to day. It is not all of what most players call 'the tee', but a rectangle which is always two club lengths in depth. Its width varies, because it is defined by the outside limits of the two tee-markers positioned by the greenkeeper.

You must play your ball from within this rectangle. It is up to you whether or not you place it on a tee-peg. As long as your ball is correctly positioned, you may stand outside the teeing ground to play it. However, you must not move either of the markers to give yourself a clear swing.

You are penalized if you mistakenly play from outside the teeing ground. In matchplay, your opponent may make you play again if he wishes - but he will probably be content to let the shot stand if you hit a bad one! There is no other penalty.

In strokeplay, you are penalized two shots and then have to play from the proper place. Strokes played from the wrong place do not count. You must put your mistake right before you tee off on the next hole -or leave the 18th green if the error occurs there - otherwise you are disqualified.

Through the green
This is the whole area of the golf course except the teeing ground of the hole being played, the putting green of the hole being played and all hazards.

The term 'through the green' dates from well back in time. Remember that it embraces all of the course, because this means that relief (permission to move the ball) given on the fairway is generally also available in the rough. For example, you can claim the same relief from casual water whether you are in the middle of the fairway or deep in the rough.

Hazards
There are two kinds of hazards: bunkers and water hazards. The most vital rule to remember is not to ground your club in any kind of hazard. Grass-covered ground bordering or even within a bunker -some famous bunkers have islands of grass within them - is not part of the bunker. Water hazards should be defined by yellow stakes or lines. These give you their limits and are themselves within the hazard.

Lateral water hazards should be defined by red stakes or lines. The rules about dropping your ball from these are slightly different, so the distinction is important. You drop beside a lateral water hazard and behind a water hazard.

Remember that water hazards need not necessarily contain water. Many on Spanish and Portuguese courses, for instance, contain water for only part of the year. But if they are defined as such, the rules apply. It's very easy to forget when perched desperately on the side of a dried-up stony ravine that you must not ground your club; if you do so, you lose the hole in matchplay and are penalized two shots in strokeplay.

The putting green
This may seem obvious, but remember that the fringe (apron) of the green is not part of the green - though it may be cut almost as short.

If any part of your ball touches the green, it is on the green as far as the rules are concerned. Putting is often called 'a game within a game', because it calls for such different skills from the rest of the game. It is also so as far as the rules are concerned, for there are important ones which apply only on the green. It's maddening to be penalized for a stupid mistake such as hitting the flagstick -you can avoid this if you know the rules.

Course questions and answers
Wrong teeing ground

Q
I played my tee shot in a match and drove out of bounds. We then realized that I had driven from the wrong teeing ground. Obviously my opponent did not wish to recall the stroke, but we were not certain where I should play my second ball from. Eventually, I teed my ball up on the correct teeing ground and drove from there, adding a two-stroke penalty. Was I right?

A
As it was a matchplay, you should have lost the hole. However, you should have dropped a ball as near as possible to the spot from where you played the first ball - in other words, from the wrong teeing ground. You should not have feed the ball there, because it is not the teeing ground for the hole being played.

Toppling off the tee-peg

Q
My ball fell off the tee-peg last week when I was in the course of my downswing, and I failed to hit it at all. My opponent said I could re-tee it without penalty as I had made no contact, but I thought I had to count what had already happened as an air shot, and play my second shot without re-teeing the ball. Was I correct?

A
Yes. You have to count the stroke which you made at the ball, even though you did not hit it. It does not seem very fair, but at least you avoided a hernia! And because the ball is now in play, you cannot tee it up but must play it as it lies.
However, if the ball falls off its tee-peg on the tee or is knocked off as you address it, you can replace it on its tee without penalty.