Golf Rules

These Golf Rules, the Rules of Etiquette following the Golf Rules, and the Rules of Etiquette of Golf prescribed by the United States Golf Association shall apply to our golf facilities. In addition, all members and their guests are expected to conduct themselves in a gentlemanly or ladylike fashion and to dress accordingly. Members are absolutely responsible to see that the conduct of their children and guests complies herewith.

Section 1:

The Golf Professional shall have charge of all play on the course, and shall supervise all starting arrangements and tournaments.

Section 2:

Any playing group less than four will be permitted, provided due diligence has been exercised by the Golf Professional or his staff, to create foursomes. Twosomes should be allowed to play through if there is an open hole ahead. Fivesomes may be permitted at the discretion of the Golf Professional. Single players have no standing on the course and are not entitled to play through the proceeding group, except upon express invitation of that group.

Section 3:

Children under 16 years of age, not accompanied by an adult member, are restricted to play after 4 pm unless they have been certified by the Golf Pro.

Section 4:

Fairways, greens and bunkers on the course are not to be used for practice.

Section 5:

Each operator of a golf cart must be at least 16 years of age.
Obey all golf cart directional signs and traffic blocks at all times.
When the “Keep Carts in Rough” sign is posted, a cart may be driven from the rough onto the fairway at an angle of 90 degrees from the rough area to the player’s ball. The cart must be returned to the rough area at approximately the same angle.
When the “Wet Area” signs are posted after a rain event, please be careful to avoid soft areas in fairway.
Always use golf cart paths where provided, especially near tees or greens. Keep all four tires on the path. Do not “hedge” tires off the cart path.
Except on cart paths, do not drive a golf cart within thirty feet of green collars and tee surfaces. That equates to a minimum of ten walking paces from the closely mowed surfaces of the greens and tee complexes. Again, please obey all cart directional signs and traffic blocks.
Never drive a cart through a hazard, landscape beds or the “Tall Grass Areas.”
Avoid sharp turning, quick acceleration and heavy braking with golf carts. Extreme caution should be used on steep hills on the golf course.
Stop! Proceed with caution when crossing the road between the Pro Shop staging area and golf course.

Section 6:

Unless otherwise approved by the Golf Professional or his staff, play must begin from Tee #1.

Section 7:

Players looking for a lost ball shall immediately signal the following players to pass through. Once the signal has been given, they shall not continue their play until the players coming up have passed through and are out of range, even though the lost ball may be found after the signal is given. Slow play will not be tolerated. A normal round of golf on our course should not take longer than four hours. Failure to maintain one’s relative position to the group ahead or failure to yield to a faster following group, when there is one or more clear holes open ahead, will constitute a violation of these rules.
All players must speed up their play when requested by the golf staff or course “rangers.”

Section 8:

The driving range is open until the Pro Shop closes daily.
Range balls are for use on the driving range only and are not permitted to be used on the golf course. Balls must be hit from the designated areas only.
Proper golf attire is required at all times on the driving range.
Utilize cart path when traveling to and from the Practice Range area.
Please do not park golf carts/personal vehicles on practice green and tee surfaces or banks.

Section 9:

The Board of Directors reserves the right to make exceptions to the Golf Rules for specific situations.

Section 10:

Authority to enforce the Golf Rules and Rules of Etiquette is vested in the Golf Professional, the members of his staff, the Golf Committee Chairman, the course ranger and the Board of Directors or may be otherwise authorized by the Board of Directors.

Section 11:

Any alleged intentional violation or breach of the Rules of Golf or the Rules of Etiquette may be reported to the Golf Professional who will in turn review the alleged violation with the person(s) involved. If the Golf Professional cannot amicably resolve the situation, then he shall report it to the General Manager who shall try to resolve the situation with the alleged offending member(s). If the Manager cannot resolve the situation in a manner satisfactory to the Manager then the matters shall be referred to the Directors for a discussion and/or action. The Board of Directors may thereafter direct a letter to the offending member, describing the alleged infraction and the date thereof. The offending member shall respond within 14 days from the date of such letter, or it will be presumed that the alleged offense(s) did, in fact, occur. Except for good cause shown, a second violation within that summer season shall result in a suspension of the member’s golf playing privileges for a period of thirty (30) days. A third violation within a year will result in suspension of the member’s golf playing privileges for a period of one year. Additional violations will be grounds for expulsion from the club.

Golf Etiquette

Everyone using the golf course should do their part to make a round of golf at the Walloon Lake Country Club a pleasant experience for everyone. Here are some suggestions:

Do not waste time. Anticipate the club or clubs you may need and go directly to your ball. Always approach your ball to play promptly when it’s your turn. If a player is delayed in making his shot, it would be courteous for such player to indicate to another player to play his or her shot which should not be deemed as playing out of turn.

The time required to hole out on or around the green is the primary cause of slow play. Be ready to putt when it’s your turn.

When approaching a green, drive your cart to the wide side or rear of the green on the best direct path to the next tee. This can save about one-half hour per round. Never leave a golf cart in a position which will delay play of the following golfers.

When the play of a hole is completed, leave the green promptly and proceed to the next tee without delay. Do the scoring for the completed hole while the others in the group are playing from the next tee.

If you are not holding your place on the course, allow the players behind you to play through. Do the same if you stop to search for a ball. Please remember our saying, “if there is an open hole ahead and the group behind is waiting, step aside and wave them through.”

Members must use discretion when using a cell phone on the golf course by setting the volume to “low” or “vibrate” and by not holding up play.

Etiquette for Course Maintenance

Repair all ball marks on the greens.

Please lower the flagstick gently onto the green surface. Allowing it to “freefall” causes unnecessary damage to the putting surface. Replace flagstick properly to prevent damage to hole edge.

Using the putting club head to remove a ball from the cup is unacceptable. Leaning on the club to remove a holed ball should be avoided to prevent damage also.

Replace all divots in the same direction of the divot void. Step down the replaced divot in a firm manner for turf grass survival.

When exiting/entering a bunker, utilize the lower side of a bunker and not the steep face of a bunker.

When raking footprint in sand bunkers, smooth the deeper footprints with the back edge of the rake and then pull rake toward you when exiting the bunker. Carefully, lay the handmade wooden rakes inside the bunker with the handle on the turf grass edge parallel to the line of play. Do not throw the rakes!

Dispose of all trash including cigarette/cigar butts in the appropriate receptacles or secure them in golf carts for disposal at the end of the golf round.

The golf course has many “blind shot” areas and adjacent golf holes. Please be aware of other golfers and workers before a golf shot is played.

More than 300 lightning strike deaths per year occur on golf courses throughout the nation. If you hear thunder or see lightning, immediately return to the Pro Shop until the weather event has expired.

In case of inclement weather, the Green Superintendent, Golf Professional or General Manger may restrict or prohibit the use of golf carts due to safety and course damage concerns. The general re-entry period for golf cart traffic is typically two hours after the last rain event and is dependent upon the total amount of precipitation received.

Reserving Tee Times

The following shall be the procedures to obtain golf starting times.

Golf members may make starting times seven days in advance. Starting times may be made by telephone, online, or in person at the Pro Shop. Please note that the Golf Shop opens at 8:00 am early and late in the season, and at 7:00 am in season.

Each member is limited to two starting times for each day. In the event that a member’s immediate family or house guests exceeds four persons, the member may make two starting times. Any number exceeding two starting times must have special dispensation from the Golf Professional or General Manager.

Single players may play when it does not interfere with ongoing play but may not reserve a starting time. Call 535-2992 ext. 2 to have the starter pair you with others.

If a foursome is not on the tee and ready to play at their tee time they will forfeit the tee time and may be required to wait until there is an available slot.

It is permissible to arrive at the club without a tee time. The Pro Shop will be glad to put you in the first available time slot.

On Ladies’ Day (Tuesdays) and Shotgun (Wednesdays), tee times will begin at 1:00 pm. On Men’s Day (Fridays) tee times will begin at 12:45 pm.

Please notify the Pro Shop of any cancellations as soon as possible.