There isn’t a single person on this planet that would ever say golf is easy. It’s hard. It’s hard for you and I just like it’s hard for Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy. We all struggle at times with the game and considering it’s a hobby we choose to play, it should be fun and an enjoyable walk, not 3.5 hours of stress and fear. That is why I’ve created the first ever Amateur Local Rules, a list for the everyday golfer that is out there looking to have a good time and not beat themselves up by the hundreds of pages of rules that can overwhelm us. If you have any to add, hit us on Twitter with the hashtag #amlocalrules and we will be updated as ideas pour in.
1.) Pull your ball out of a divot if it’s in your fairway, if everyone in the group agrees it is in fact a divot.
2.) Clean up any spike mark or imperfection on the green you want.
3.) If you hit it in a bunker and it’s in a footprint or old divot or unraked area, you can move it to a clean position.
4.) No more O.B.; play everything like a lazy lateral.
5.) Mudballs can be cleaned and placed, no penalty.
6.) If a ball is “lost” in play (under leaves, pinestraw, etc) and the group agrees it was in play and in the general vicinity of where you are looking, a new ball can be put in play free of penalty.
7.) If someone shows up on the first tee with iron headcovers, you can ask to be moved to another group.
8.) Full relief from a cart path, no nearer the hole, where you can have a free golf swing … no need to drop on wrong side of the path in desert/trees (Via @gacattak on Twitter)