Local Rules
A local rule is a modification of a standard Rule of Golf, or an extra rule, that a course or competition Committee adopts to handle conditions specific to that course or event.
What is a local rule in golf?
Golf gets played on cliffs, links land, desert, parkland, and everything in between, and no single rulebook can anticipate every quirk of every course. Local rules exist to close that gap. A local rule either changes how a standard Rule applies at a particular course or adds a new rule to cover something the main Rules do not.
The people who set them are known collectively as the Committee, which is whoever runs the course or the competition. At a public course on an ordinary day, that often means the golf professional or the course superintendent. At a tournament, it is the organising body.
A local rule is not a casual suggestion. Once it is in force, it carries the same authority as any Rule of Golf for that course or competition, and breaking one brings a penalty. To keep things consistent around the world, the R&A and USGA only recognise local rules that follow their approved templates, called Model Local Rules.
How local rules work
The Committee decides which local rules to apply, and it draws almost all of them from a set of roughly 90 Model Local Rules published in Section 8 of the Committee Procedures, part of the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf. Each template carries a letter-and-number code, running from A through I, so a rule about boundaries might be A-4 while the one about preferred lies is E-3.
Finding out which local rules are in play is the golfer’s responsibility. They usually appear on the back of the scorecard, on a noticeboard in the clubhouse or pro shop, or on the club website. Larger events hand players a printed Notice to Players. According to the R&A, when only a shorthand version is printed on a scorecard, the full text should still be available somewhere, such as a noticeboard or website.
Local rules can also come and go. A Committee can bring one in for a temporary problem, say frost damage or flooding, and the R&A guidance is that it should be withdrawn once the situation no longer calls for it. That is why the rules on a course one week may not match the rules the next.
Local rule vs. rule of golf
This is where most confusion starts. The Rules of Golf are the fixed, worldwide code written by the R&A and the USGA. The 2023 edition contains 25 Rules, and they apply the same way whether someone is playing a municipal course in Ohio or the Old Course at St Andrews. A local rule sits on top of that code and applies only where a Committee has adopted it.
The distinction matters because a local rule can change how a hole plays. A boundary that is out of bounds at one course might be a free-relief obstruction at another. The table below sums up the difference.
| Rule of Golf | Local rule | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes it | The R&A and the USGA | The course or competition Committee |
| Where it applies | Every course, worldwide | Only where the Committee adopts it |
| How many | 25 Rules in the 2023 edition | Around 90 Model Local Rule templates |
| Changed locally? | No | Yes, within the approved templates |
| Penalty for breaking it | Set by the Rule itself | Usually the general penalty |
A Committee’s freedom has limits. Under Rule 1.3c, it cannot use a local rule to waive or change a penalty, and it cannot invent a rule simply because it would prefer the game to work differently. Anything outside the approved purposes is not authorised.
Common local rules on the course
A handful of local rules show up so often that most regular golfers meet them without realising what they are. These are the ones worth recognising.
| Local rule | Code | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Preferred lies | E-3 | Also called winter rules or lift, clean and place. Lets a player lift, clean and reposition the ball a short set distance in the fairway when wet or poor conditions affect fair play. |
| Stroke-and-distance alternative | E-5 | Gives a two-stroke drop option for a ball that is lost or out of bounds, so casual players need not walk back to replay the shot. Not used in elite competition. |
| Immovable obstructions near greens | F-5 | Allows free relief from something like a sprinkler head close to the green when it sits on the line of play. |
| Dropping zone | E-1 | Creates a marked area where players may drop, often near a water carry on a par 3. |
| Internal out of bounds | A-4 | Marks part of the course as out of bounds for one hole, usually to stop players cutting a dogleg. |
| Aeration holes | E-4 | Gives free relief when a ball comes to rest in a hole left by course maintenance. |
Two everyday features were once local rules and are now part of the main Rules. Since 2019, players can remove loose stones from bunkers and take relief from an embedded ball almost anywhere in the general area without needing a local rule to allow it. Distance-measuring devices also became broadly permitted that year, though a Committee can still ban them by local rule.
What happens if you break a local rule
Because a local rule has the same standing as a Rule of Golf, breaching one carries a real penalty. In most cases, that is the general penalty: two strokes in stroke play, or loss of the hole in match play, unless the specific rule states otherwise.
There is a knock-on effect for handicaps too. If a round is played with a local rule in force that the governing bodies do not authorise, that round may not count as having been played under the Rules of Golf, and a handicap committee can decide the score is not acceptable for handicap purposes. Playing an authorised local rule such as preferred lies does not, by itself, stop a score from being posted.
Common misconceptions
Some local rules are so widespread that golfers assume they are universal Rules. The one-ball rule is a good example. It forces a player to use a single brand and model of ball for the whole round, and because the PGA Tour uses it, many people think it is standard. It is not. Away from elite events, a golfer may switch to any conforming ball whenever the Rules allow.
Preferred lies causes similar mix-ups. It is common in winter, but it is never automatic, and the exact distance a ball may be moved varies by course, from six inches to a club-length. The safest habit is to check what is actually in force before teeing off, rather than assuming last week’s rules still apply.
Related Golf Terms
- Pro-am — An event pairing professional golfers with amateurs.
- Tour card — The credential granting a player full membership and playing rights on a tour.
- Gallery — The crowd of spectators watching a tournament.
- Qualifying school — The series of tournaments players use to earn tour status.
- Shotgun start — A format in which all groups tee off simultaneously from different holes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are a course’s local rules listed?
They usually appear on the back of the scorecard and on a clubhouse or pro shop noticeboard, and many clubs also list them on their website. Larger competitions provide a printed Notice to Players.
Who decides a course’s local rules?
The Committee, meaning whoever is in charge of the course or competition. For everyday play that often includes the golf professional or the course superintendent.
Do local rules affect a golfer’s handicap?
An authorised local rule, such as preferred lies, does not stop a score being posted. A round played under an unauthorised local rule may not be acceptable for handicap.
Can a golf club invent any rule it likes?
No. A Committee can only adopt local rules that match the approved Model Local Rules and their stated purposes. It cannot waive or change a penalty under Rule 1.3c.
Are winter rules the same as a local rule?
Yes. Winter rules, preferred lies and lift, clean and place are all names for the same local rule, Model Local Rule E-3.
Sources
- USGA. “Local Rules: What are they, and why do they exist?” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2025/10/local-rules-why-do-they-exist.html - The R&A. “Committee Procedures, Section 8: Model Local Rules.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.randa.org/en/rog/committee-procedures/8 - National Club Golfer. “What is a Local Rule in golf?” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/rules/rules-of-golf-local-rule/ - Golf Monthly. “Golf Rules Explained: Local Rules.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/new-golf-rules-explained-local-rules-170233 - NCGA. “Rules of Golf 101: Model Local Rules.” Accessed July 2026.
https://blog.ncga.org/rules-of-golf-101-model-local-rules - Golf Channel / USGA. “USGA, R&A announce five key rule changes taking effect January 1, 2023” (25 Rules figure). Accessed July 2026.
https://www.golfchannel.com/news/usga-ra-announce-five-key-rule-changes-taking-effect-january-1-2023
