The golf season is in full swing, bringing a packed calendar of member-guest events, club championships and other competitive tournaments at nearly every course I visit. These moments are highlights of the golfing year at many courses – where preparation meets performance and every detail counts. One of the basic tasks involved in getting ready for these events, and daily play in general, is marking the course properly so that it’s as easy as possible for players to follow the Rules of Golf. While the golf professional or tournament committees often take the lead in marking the course, involvement from the superintendent is a good thing and course marking may fall entirely on the superintendent depending on the situation.
Here at the USGA, we’re fortunate to have leading experts on the Rules of Golf and marking courses for competitive play. I worked with them to develop a quick list of tips superintendents should know about marking the course. For more detailed information, check out section 5B of the Committee Procedures section in the Rules of Golf.
Ground Under Repair
Superintendents may not be Rules officials, but they are certainly experts about areas that may need to be marked as ground under repair. According to USGA recommendations, the condition of the course as a whole should be reviewed to determine what should be marked as ground under repair. For example, if the fairways are in good condition, it might make sense to mark an individual bare spot. If there is widespread turf damage, only the most-severe locations might be marked. If there are multiple spots you would consider ground under repair that are near each other, it may make sense to mark them as a single area to make it easy for players to drop. Be aware of where finding relief may take a player if it is one area. As you get farther from the fairway, generally only more-severely damaged areas would be treated as ground under repair – like deep ruts near an irrigation leak. Ground under repair can be marked with paint or stakes, and white is typically the color used to avoid confusion with penalty areas.
Penalty Areas
Penalty areas can be marked with red or yellow paint and/or stakes depending on the relief options desired. While any penalty area can be marked as red to provide an additional option for relief, if a key part of a hole’s challenge is hitting over the penalty area, you may prefer to mark it as yellow. In either case, using paint lines to define the margin is recommended so that all the correct areas are either included or excluded and the edge does not get altered if a stake gets moved. Lines and stakes should be placed as near as possible to the physical boundary of a penalty area – like where a bank drops down into a stream. That makes it easier for players to drop on level ground. If a penalty area is bordered by landscape that will very likely lead to a lost ball – e.g. a densely vegetated buffer along a pond – it may make sense to include that within the penalty area to speed up pace of play and simplify rulings.
Out of Bounds
Hitting a ball out of bounds can obviously have a big impact on someone’s round – whether it’s a normal day on the course or a major competitive event. The USGA recommends using white stakes to define boundaries. Paint may also be used, but it’s important to understand that where there are painted lines and stakes, the line is the boundary edge and the stakes show where the edge is located. If you are using stakes to define the boundary, you want them close enough to each other that it’s possible to see the base of one stake from those on either side of it. The maintenance team should trim bushes, shrubs or vegetation along the boundary to make sure that it’s possible to see from one stake to the next. The USGA considers it a good practice to paint a white circle around the base of all boundary stakes so that if any are moved, the original location is known.
Conclusion
You might not carry a Rules book in your back pocket, but knowing the basics of marking the course is valuable for superintendents. Even if course marking isn’t your primary responsibility, the maintenance team is often called upon to maintain paint lines and stakes and ensure that these critical markings are not obscured. Regular coordination with the golf professional and tournament rules officials is essential to make sure the course is set up correctly, marked accurately and free of ambiguities. If you have any questions about the Rules of Golf, please reach out to the USGA’s Rules experts for guidance.
Southeast Region Agronomists:
Jordan Booth, Ph.D., senior director, USGA Course Consulting Service – jbooth@usga.org
Chris Hartwiger, director, Agronomy – chartwiger@usga.org
Chris Neff, agronomist – cneff@usga.org
Mitch Leininger, agronomist - mleininger@usga.org