12/24/17 - Blacklake

I played a course that I wasn't really familiar with on Christmas Eve, and I encountered an unusual local rule.

I hit my approach shot into what looked like it had once been a lake.  With the drought in California, it's not that unusual to see ex-lakes.  It was marked with blue-tipped stakes.  I assumed it was a hazard, so I took a drop (and a penalty stroke) and hit my approach to the green.

The local rule indicated that the areas surrounded by blue-tipped stakes should be played as casual water.  Free relief.  Odd.

I had already posted my score when I noticed the local rule on the scorecard (see below).  Hopefully my handicap chair can fix it.

12/9/17 - San Vicente

A player in our foursome asked about relief from a staked tree.  I had never heard of such a rule, so I had to look it up.

It's a Local Rule that can be adopted - Protection of Young Trees.  It's in Appendix I, Part A, Section 2b.  Under this rule, the marked tree would be treated as an Immovable Obstruction (Rule 24-2b).  This is a free drop within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole.

There was nothing about it on the scorecard, but the fact that the course staked the trees implies to me that they expect the local rule to be in place.  Of course the player didn't ask about it until after he had played (without taking relief).

You learn something new with every round...