Native Roughs Identified by No Mow Areas

Since native roughs reduce a golf course’s overhead, more golf courses are incorporating them into the golfer’s game. Some golf courses have established local rules for ‘native roughs identified by no mow areas’, and these local rules may differ from course to course which can be frustrating and confusing to golfers. Hence, some of these situations are mentioned below and identify the USGA Rule or Definition for these native roughs. Knowing these USGA Rules creates an awareness that a local rule waived the USGA Rules which could have handicap consequences. To locate the USGA Rule or Definition, go to the USGA website at www.usga.org and click on the Rules tab.

If a Local Rule waives a Rule of Golf, see Rule 33-1 and Rule 33-8b.

If a club decides to waive a Rule of Golf, this may have implications for posting scores for handicaps. See the USGA Handicap Manual, Secion 5-1.

If a ball lies in an area with native grass, not marked as a lateral water hazard, the player must either play the ball as it lies (Rule 13-1) or proceed in accordance with Rule 28 (Ball Unplayable). Under Rule 28, a player has three possible options. However, keep in mind, the player may not have all three options available to him/her or like where one or two of the options may put his/her ball.

If a player is unable to find his/her ball, the player must proceed under Rule 27-1c.

If a player’s ball lies in a lateral water hazard, the player may either play the ball as it lies (Rule 13-1) or proceed in accordance with Rule 26-1.