USGA Rule 17,1e - No
Play Zone: A part of the course where the Committee has
prohibited play. A "no play zone" must be defined
as part of either an "abnormal course condition" or a
penalty area.
Hole #1,7,8,9,11,12,13,16,and 18 all have red staked
penalty areas - the dry or partially dry lakes
A player's ball entering the "no play zone" in all of
these penalty areas would follow Rule 17.1d "Relief for
Ball in Red Penalty Area" with a one stroke penalty.
- Stroke and distance
- Point of entry within 2 club
lengths, no nearer the hole
- Back of line relief between point
of entry and the hole
Players must agree on the point of entry, take relief
and play their third shot before looking (3 minutes max)
for the ball in the "no play zone"
What this means: Going forward for our home
tournaments at Olivas Links, we are not allowed to enter
these penalty areas for the purpose of playing our next
shot. Any Ball touching or inside the rED markers
or paint may not be played. We will need to see
all of these penalty areas as lakes completely full to
the brim.
Why make this change?
Pace of play in our tournaments will improve
We have seen issues with our indexes being competitive
with other clubs. With this change, our indexes
may rise a stroke on the lower end and possibly two
strokes for our higher indexed players. This
ultimately makes us more competitive.
The no play zones put us closer to the original
intention of the course designers and the ratings the
course has been assigned.
your OLMGC Board of Directors