Background

The club council has been receiving an increasing amount of feedback from members and visitors about the pace of play on the course - i.e. that play is too slow. As a consequence, the club council has decided to issue the following guidelines which apply to all matches played on the course, with particular reference to play in official club competitions.

Target time for completing a round of golf.

The maximum length of time required to complete a round of golf at Niddry Castle Golf club should be 3.5 hours. Due to the layout of the course, the first 6 holes tend to be the slowest on the course, and the last 6 holes are the quickest. As a guide please check your pace of play against the following targets.

Tee 7 - No more than 1 Hour and 15 Minutes after tee-off
Tee 13 - No more than 2 Hours and 25 Minutes after tee-off

If you are falling behind these target times please check if play behind you is being held up and consider allowing the group behind you to play through.

Playing through

Please note that a match in a competition does not necessarily have priority over another game and has no right at all to refuse a non competition match the right to play through if that game is being held up by the game in the competition. All golfers have equal rights on the course. It is also in the rules of golf that single players do now have the right to play through groups of 2, 3 or 4 golfers. So please be courteous to single players.

The club also wants to emphasize that members of our junior section should not be refused the right to ‘play through’ simply because they are juniors. That is not acceptable.

Although the rules of golf allow 5 minutes to trace a lost golf ball, the game behind you should be waved through as early as possible during the search for the ball. The 5 minute timescale is not the time that the game behind must wait before they can play, it is simply the maximum time that a player is allowed to search for a lost ball.

If for any reason you are unable to play 18 holes of golf in 3.5 hours, all we are asking is that you give consideration to those who are able to, and if necessary allow such groups to play through. It may reduce pressure on your game.

Shot Priority

In general terms players on the latter hole have priority. Players on the 6th tee/ fairway have priority over players on the 5th hole - unless approach shots to the 6th cannot be played across the burn as the 6th green is not yet clear.

Players on the 17th medal tee have priority over players on the 8th tee although players on each tee playing alternate shots is acceptable if both groups agree. The same priority applies to the 17th and 16th hole medal tees.

Provisional Balls

If you have hit your ball into a spot where there is any doubt at all as to whether or not you will find it, always hit a provisional - especially in a Competition game. This will be particularly important as the ‘blue staked’ areas are removed from holes 8 - 16.

Score Card Marking

Please do not stop and mark scorecards on the green after putting out. The appropriate place to do so is at the next tee whist your playing partner(s) is / are teeing off.

Tee Priority

Whilst in recognised competitions the ‘honour’ on the tee must be observed, this is not necessarily so in friendly games.

Playing out

If the format of golf you are playing means you can no longer score a point or win the hole, please give consideration to picking your ball up if the course is very busy.

On the green

If you are not putting first and you are not tending the flag please try to line up your putt whilst your playing partner or opponent is putting - making sure that you do not infringe any other rules of golf in doing so.

Bells

Please ensure that the bells next to the 3rd tee and behind the 17th green are rung clearly at the appropriate time. This is particularly important after you have completed the 2nd hole.

Golf Clubs

It is a rule of the club that every player must have their own set of clubs and that players sharing bags of clubs is not allowed. If you see players doing so you should politely remind them of this and ask them to stop. Any further breach of this rule should be reported to the club council.

Summary

In introducing these guidelines we are simply trying to enhance rather than inhibit everyone’s enjoyment of Niddry Castle Golf Club - members and visitors alike. The market for golf clubs is very competitive and there are a lot of courses in this area. We believe that by applying these simple guidelines we can make golf at our unique course a more enjoyable experience for everyone…….and an experience they will want to repeat.