GOLF RULES

Regulations governing the play and the use of the golf course, putting green, practice areas, etc., are formulated by the Golf Committee with the approval of the Board of Directors.

Members are responsible for adhering to these regulations and are accountable for the actions of their children and guests.  Members are encouraged to report any violations to the Golf Committee, a member or the Board of Directors, and/or the Golf Shop.

I.  HOURS OF OPERATION:

The golf course will normally be closed on Mondays.  In the event a Federal holiday falls on Monday, the club may be open.In that case, the course will be closed on the following Tuesday.

The golf course and Golf Shop hours are posted in the Golf Shop and on the Club Web Site.

PRACTICE RANGE: 

The practice range is open for members until dark. Except on:Sunday and Tuesday when it closes 1 hour before sunset for maintenance.The range may be used on Mondays, provided members use their own golf balls.

II.  RESPONSIBILITIES AND ETIQUETTE:

A.  Members are responsible to the Golf Committee for their own actions and conduct, the actions and conduct of their children and the actions and conduct of their guests.

B.  All players must be dressed in attire appropriate for a country club while on the golf course, the putting green, the driving range and other practice areas.  Appropriate golf attire is defined as:

•Only golf shoes or shoes approved by the golf staff will be allowed on the golf course.

•Male players, sixteen (16) years of age and older, must wear shirts with collars (including round neck collared shirts, but not T-shirts) and slacks or golf style shorts.  Sleeveless shirts, bathing suits, exercise shorts, blue jeans, etc. are not permitted.

•Female players, sixteen (16) years of age and older, must wear shirts or blouses with golf style shorts, skirts or slacks.Bathing suits, halter tops and/or tank tops, blue jeans etc. are not permitted.

•Juniors, male or female, under sixteen (16) years of age are permitted to wear fashion style T-shirts with golf style shorts, skirts or slacks.  No blue jeans, bathing suits or tennis shorts are permitted.

C.  It is expected that the maximum time to complete a round of 18 holes is four hours and twenty minutes.

If a group fails to keep pace, it is their responsibility to take the appropriate actions to insure compliancewith the rules.  Actions taken will vary depending on playing conditions, time of play, and number of players on the course.  Some of the possible actions to be taken could be:

•Pick up and skip a hole to keep pace with the group in front.

•When appropriate, let the faster group behind play through.  This may not be appropriate action if other groups are waiting behind the group to play through.

•Make a conscious effort to make up playing time by putting out, playing ready golf, and picking up when the maximum score on a hole is reached.

The actions listed above are not all inclusive.   It is the responsibility of all members of a group to insure that the proper actions are being taken to insure the proper speed of play is being maintained.

D.  All players are responsible for maintaining the condition of the golf course.  This responsibility includes raking prints in the sand traps, properly repairing ball marks on the greens and keeping the golf course free of debris.

E.  Play must begin on hole #1, unless otherwise directed by the Golf Shop.

F.  Practice, other than a part of a normal golfing round, is prohibited on the golf course layout.

G.  Rules and regulations governing play in tournaments shall be posted in the Golf Shop.

H.  Courtesy must be maintained at all times while using the golf course and the adjacent facilities.  Profanity and offensive language are not allowed.

I.  When players are on both #10 and #17 blue tees, the group on #17 will have the option to tee first.

J.  Players who choose to stop for refreshments between nines may lose their position to the following group, but will take that group's position on the tenth tee.

K.  Failure to follow the rules or directions of the Golf Professional Staff may result in suspension of membership.

III.  PROCEDURES ON THE GOLF COURSE:

The use of the golf course and course grounds is restricted exclusively to the game of golf.

A.  The use of motorbikes, skates, skateboards, roller blades, sleds, skis, etc. are not permitted on club property.  Non golfing activities are not permitted on the golf course.  Members should instruct their children and guests accordingly.  Violators are subject to fines.

B.  Jogging on the golf course and/or paths is not permitted during normal golf course hours.  Bicycles are restricted to perimeter paths and are to be used exclusively to travel to and from the Clubhouse facility.  Extreme caution must be exercised by those using the paths for activities other than golfing.

C.  Non-golfing foot traffic is dangerous and is discouraged.  Members and their children walking in the golf course area while not playing golf do so at their own risk.

D.  Fishing is permitted for members and accompanied guests on MONDAY'S only.  All guests must be accompanied by the responsible member.  Fishing is allowed by permit only.  These permits are issued by the club office.

E.  Dogs, and other pets, are not permitted to run free on the golf course or other club facilities.  Violators are subject to warnings, fines, or other disciplinary actions.

IV.  REGISTRATION:

A.  All players must register in the Golf Shop prior to play.  Club member numbers must be noted on the registration sheet.  All guests must be registered prior to beginning play.  The member whose guest is registered must note the member's Club number on the Guest Registration.  When registering, notation should be made if less than 18 holes are to be played.

B.  Guest's fees and cart fees must be charged to the member or paid by approved charge cards.  All groups must include a PLCC member per foursome unless approved by the Golf Shop.  Any member group requiring more than 3 tee times will be viewed as an outing.

C.  Prospective members are classified as guests and must be registered both in the Clubhouse and the Golf Shop.

V.  STARTING TIMES:

The following rules govern the reservation of starting times ONLY.  They do NOT place restrictions on who or when others may play.

A.  For a Saturday starting time, you may call after 12:00 PM (noon) on the Wednesday immediately prior.  For Sundays and holidays, you may call after 12:00 PM (noon) on the Thursday immediately prior.

B.  Starting times are required for play on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays and are available for any other days upon request to the Golf Shop.  Starting times for weekendsand holidays must be made from an off premise telephone.  Only one starting time will be assigned per play day per telephone call.

C.  A minimum of three players are required to obtain a tee time.  The Saturday and holiday tee times are available as follows:

1. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME-APRIL THROUGH OCTOBER:

                                                        Primary   Secondary   Juniors   Guests

1ST time to 10:00 am                    Yes          No              No          No

10:00 am to noon                          Yes          Yes                No          No

Dog Fight to 1:30 pm                        Yes          No                No          Yes

1:30 pm and later                            Yes          Yes                Yes          Yes

On Friday anyone, except Juniors, may call and reserve any open tee time.

2. EASTERN STANDARD TIME-NOVEMBER THROUGH MARCH:

                                                                 Primary   Secondary  Juniors  Guests

1ST time to 10:00 am                      Yes             Yes          No           No

10:00 am to 11:30 am                     Yes         Yes          No            No

Dog Fight to 1:00 pm                    Yes          No          No          Yes

1:00 pm and later                            Yes            Yes            Yes            Yes

On Friday anyone, except Juniors, may call and reserve any open tee time.

D.  All members are responsible to notify the Golf Shop if they are not able to play at their assigned time.  Repeated failure to cancel a starting time may result in fines or restriction from reserving tee times.

E.  Approval to play as a fivesome must be obtained from the golf Shop prior to beginning play.  If the fivesome is given permission to play by the Golf Shop, they must maintain the required pace of play.

VI.  THE GOLF COURSE:

A.  Willful damage to the golf course, the practice areas, the Golf Shop and golf carts is prohibited.  Damages caused by members, their guests and/or children will be the financial responsibility of the member and may result in temporary or permanent restrictions on the use of these areas.

B.  The golf course has been measured from four distances as indicated by the blue, white, gold and red markers located at various locations on each tee.  The distances are measured from the markers to the center of the green.  Markers in the fairways show the distances of 100, 150 and 200 yards to the center of the greens.  Fairway sprinkler heads are also marked measuring the remaining distance to the center of each green.  Players are not to move the tee markers.  These are set daily for the benefit of all players and are moved by the Greens Superintendent for the protection of the teeing area.

C.  Each player should repair damages caused to the golf course during play.  While not all inclusive, listed are a few examples:

•Ball marks on the greens should be repaired.

•All irregularities should be smoothed before leaving a sand trap.  Traps should be left in a playable condition.

•In the summer months, divots should be repaired by "scuffing in" the side of the divot with golf shoes.  During the dormant turf months, it is best to replace the divot and cover with sand.

•Fill fairway divots with sand from the container on the golf carts.

VII.  GOLF CARTS:

Golf carts which carry the player and equipment are available for rent from the Golf Shop.  Personally owned carts are not permitted.  Pull carts, including motorized carts, are permitted but shall be used for the purpose of transporting only one set of clubs.  The following rules apply:

A.  No one under 16 years of age will be permitted to operate a golf cart.  With a documented consent form signed by the parent or guardian obtained from the Club, dependent members between the ages of 16 and 18 will be approved to operate a golf cart.

B.  The maximum number of passengers in a golf cart is limited to two adults and a small child, or one adult and two small children.Small children are defined as being less than 11 years of age.

C.  Golf carts must remain on the paved paths except as listed in the following conditions:

•During selected tournaments as recommended by the Golf Committee and approved by the Board of Directors.

•When the condition of the golf course tolerates regular use of golf carts and as recommended by the Greens Superintendent.

•Golf carts must always remain on the cart paths on par 3 holes, and on all other holes where posted.

D.  If golf carts are permitted on the fairways, the following rules will apply:

•The player must enter the fairway IMMEDIATELY after passing the green post closest to the tee, REMAIN INSIDE THE FAIRWAY CUT until exiting the fairway IMMEDIATELY before reaching the green post closest to the green.

•Carts are not allowed on mounds or in wooded areas for any reason.

•Keep carts on fairway cut only, keep carts out of rough.

•Carts are to remain on paths the entire course if the red "Please Keep Carts on Path Today" signs are posted on holes #1 and #10.

E.  Pull carts may be taken onto any fairway.  Pull carts are not allowed on greens, aprons of greens or tees.  Other restricted areas will be denoted by signs on the course.

F.  Special circumstance use of carts: At the discretion of the Golf Committee, certain members who are physically handicapped will be granted the privilege of using the carts with special restrictions.  The qualifications for these handicapped members are defined and published.  These regulations and/or qualification are available from the Club Office.

VIII.  GUESTS:

A.  There are three classifications of guests:

1.  RESIDENT GUESTS are those who reside in Mecklenburg or a contiguous county.  They are permitted to play a maximum of one (1) time per month.  Exempted from the above are members of other private golf country clubs.

2.  NON-RESIDENT GUESTS are those who do not reside in Mecklenburg or a contiguous county.  These guests are not staying at the house of a member but are playing with that member.  They are permitted to play no more than one (1) round per month unless they are a member of another private golf country club.

3.  NON-RESIDENT HOUSE GUESTS are the same as #2 except that they are staying as a house guest of a member for a period of not less than one week.  A non-resident house guest is allowed the use of all club facilities for a period of not more than two weeks during any calendar year.

Note: Be reminded that all guests must be accompanied by a member.

B.  A special weekly rate is available from the club office for the non-resident house guest.  This guest must be registered in both the club office and Golf Shop.

C.  Guest policy for golf on Saturdays (April through October):

This policy is intended to give our members the first opportunity to make starting times for the weekends.  Reservations for guests on Saturday can be made as follows:

•Call on Wednesday to schedule a time after 1:30 pm.

•Call Thursday for a time earlier than 1:30 pm and indicate to the Golf Shop that you would like to bring a guest.Remember, you must have a minimum of three players to book a tee time.  Call the Golf Shop on Friday to see if a time is now available to bring you guest.

•Call on Friday and book any available time for Saturday.

IX.  CORPORATE OUTINGS AND PRIVATE GROUPS:

A.  Play by outside groups must be approved by the Board of Directors. Any outside outing must be sponsored by a member.  Request by the outside group must be submitted to the Golf Committee and the Board of Directors for approval.

B.  The Sponsor must submit the following information:

•The sponsor's name

•Date of play

•Other club facilities required, i.e., restaurant, lounge, snack bar, driving range

•Number of participants

•Format of play

•Time

•How the bill will be paid

C.  Non member greens fees and cart fees for outings are established by the Board of Directors.

D.  Outings are not permitted on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.

E.  All participants in an outside outing are expected to abide by the rules of PLCC.  The play and conduct of the group will be the responsibility of the sponsor.

F.  Any situations allowing outside groups to provide their own food and/or beverages must be approved by the Club Manager.

G.  A financial report must be submitted to the Board of Directors for each event.

X.  LADY GOLFERS:

A.  There are two associations for lady golfers.These are the Ladies 18 Hole Association and the 9 Hole Association.

B.  Reserved tee times.  The ladies 18 Hole Association shall have the first choice of tee times available for play on Wednesday morning.  Ladies 9 Hole Association shall have tee times starting at 8:30 am on Thursdays.  All open times and the alternate nine holes not being used by the 9 Hole Association are available for regular membership use.   Tee times may be reserved after noon on Tuesday.

XI.  JUNIOR GOLFERS:

Junior golfers include:

Beginners as determined by the Golf Shop

Pee Wee ages 10 and under

Sub-Juniors ages 11 and 12

Pre-Juniors ages 15 through 18 (and have not yet started college)

A.  Juniors 10 years of age or under are not allowed on the golf course, the putting green, the driving range or other practice area unless accompanied by an adult unless the Junior has approval from the Golf Shop.

B.  Juniors ages 11 to 18 may play the golf facilities at the discretion of the Golf Shop.  Members are responsible for the actions and conduct of their children.

C.  Juniors may not play the golf course before 1:30 pm on Saturday, until after the Dog Fight.

D.  Junior golf day is each Tuesday while school is not in session.The Golf Shop will schedule the Juniors play.

E.  Junior Guests: A Junior may invite another junior as a guest on Tuesday if that day is a designated junior golf day.  There is a limit of 3 guests per person and a guest may play no more than one time per month.A junior's guest, on the designated junior golf day, will be charged the appropriate rate.

XII.  CLUB TOURNAMENTS:

A.  All club tournaments must be endorsed by the golf committee and approved by the Board of Directors.  All club tournament requests must be submitted by the Tournament/Golf Committee in writing to the Board of Directors for approval.  The requests must include: Dates of play, Entry fees, and Format.  The membership will be notified as early as possible of the schedule of tournaments for each year.

B.  Tournament play will take precedence over all other types of play.

C.  Any disputes over the Rules of Golf shall be referred to the Golf Committee whose decision will be final.

D.  A financial report must be submitted to the Board of Directors for each event which involves the Club's services.

XIII.  THE HANDICAP SYSTEM:

A.  Sign in at the Golf Shop before every round (PLCC Rule).

B.  Post every score, good or bad.  Even incomplete rounds of 13 holes or more must be posted.  Add handicap strokes to par where they fall for holes not played to arrive at the total gross score.  Consecutive nine hole rounds must be posted as an 18 hole score even if the same nine holes are played twice or if the consecutive nine hole rounds are played on different golf courses (unless the player is maintaining a nine hole handicap only).

C.  Adjust your gross score for Posting using the USGA Handicap Rules:

•Handicap 0-9  6 is the most you can take on any hole

•Handicap 10-19  7 is the most you can take on any hole

•Handicap 20-29  8 is the most you can take on any hole

•Handicap 30-39  9 is the most you can take on any hole

•Handicap 40-49  10 is the most you can take on any hole

D.  Record the score most likely to have been made for holes not finished or conceded in match or stroke play.

E.  Indicate tournament scores when posting.  A Tournament Score is a score made in a competition organized and conducted by a committee in charge of the competition.

F.  Post you score as soon as practical after completion of a round.

GOLF LOCAL RULES

•POWER LINES: A ball striking utility poles or wires MUST be replayed (no penalty).

•CART PATHS: All cart paths, service roads and roads tying into service roads are obstructions.You may take a free drop with one club length relief, no nearer the hole.

•OUT OF BOUNDS: White Stakes to the right of holes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 17 and left of holes 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 18 and behind 14 green are out of bounds markers.Out of Bounds is defined by inside points, at ground level, of the White Stakes.

•GROUND UNDER REPAIR: Defined by White lined areas around Decorative Shrubs and Flowers (surrounded by Pine Needles) and other parts of the course under cultivation.Any play that may cause damage to any part of these areas is prohibited.

•HOLE #1 AND #16-LADIES: If a ball enters the water hazard to the left of the cart path you have two options: re-tee your ball, hitting your third shot, or use the special Ladies drop area across the dam to the right of the sixteenth hole, hitting your third shot.If your tee shot on #1 enters the hazard to the right of the cart path, USGA Rule 16-1 applies.

•HOLE #9-MEN: If your tee ball enters the hazard, you may take relief by playing your third stroke from the front of the White Tee Box.The Red Hazard Line to the left of the fairway is for Ladies only.

•HOLE #9-JUNIORS AGE 14 AND UNDER: After you have hit two balls in the water, drop on the other side of the lake, near the bridge.

•HOLES #13 AND #16: If the ball enters the hazard behind the green you may take relief by using the drop area.

•HOLE #16-MEN: If your tee ball enters the hazard in front of, or beside the green, you may take relief by dropping at front of the Gold Tee Box.You will be playing your third stroke.You may not drop on the other side of the lake.

HELPFUL INTERPRETATIONS OF USGA RULES

A.  WATER HAZARD: Defined by Red stakes or lines.You may take relief from the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard.OPTIONS:

•Keep that point between you and the hole and go back as far as you want

•Play from the point of your last shot.

B.  LATERAL WATER HAZARD: Defined by Red stakes or lines. You may take relief from the point where the ball last crossed the hazard.OPTIONS:

•Drop within two club lengths, no nearer the hole, or

•Drop on the opposite side of the hazard, within two club lengths, equidistant from the hole, or

•Keep that point between you and the hole and go back as far as you want, or

•Play from the point of your last shot.

C.   HOLE #10-MEN: If your tee ball enters the hazard, you may drop on the left of the lake only if your ball crossed the land area before entering the hazard, keeping the spot of entry between you and the hole.


TOURNAMENT POLICIES

*Up to the entry deadline, you may withdraw from any event you have entered without penalty

*After the event is closed, you may still withdraw without penalty provided there is someone on the waiting list who will take your place.

*After events close, players are subject to a cancellation charge if they withdraw and no one is available to take their place, regardless of the reason for the withdrawal.

*Players who sign up for an event and do not cancel until the day of the evant or do not cancel at all will be considered no shows and will be charged the full entry fee for the event.

*Members who have more than one no show in a season may have their right to sign up for club tournaments restricted.

*In fairness to other competitors, please do not request special pairings, as this would not be practical for all participants.  Such requests just can't be honored.