Golf
04 JUL 2025
Le Maître Handicap Committee
The purpose of the Handicap Committee is to inform members about the rules of golf and how they apply. This week we are bringing you two general rules, but in the future we will be discussing how the rules affect specific holes at Le Maître.
- On a golf course, we have four designated areas for playing our shots: i) the tee boxes, ii) the general area, iii) the bunkers, and iv) the green.
Of course, if the player chooses, they can play their shot from a penalty area (not out of bounds).
General Area
The area of the course that covers the entire course except for the four other defined areas, namely:
(1) the teeing ground where the player must begin the hole to be played,
(2) all penalty areas,
(3) all bunkers,
(4) the putting green of the hole being played.
The general area is the main part of the course that includes everything except the teeing area, putting green (of the hole being played), bunkers, and penalty areas. This area often encompasses the fairway, rough, and any other areas not specifically defined.
More details:
Fairway: The closely mown area between the tee and the green, designed for the golfer's second shot.
Rough: The longer grass areas surrounding the fairway, often more challenging to play from.
Teeing area: The designated area where a player starts each hole.
Putting green: The area around the hole, specifically designed for putting.
Bunkers: Sand-filled hazards intended to make play more challenging.
Penalty areas: Areas where a ball is likely to be lost or unplayable, marked by yellow or red stakes.
- There is also an optional Local Rule which provides an alternative to stoke and distance relief when it is in effect. This Local Rule is recommended for casual play and not for competitions involving highly skilled players. If it is in effect, for two penalty strokes, you can estimate the spot where your ball is lost or went out of bounds and then find the nearest fairway edge that is not nearer the hole than the estimated spot. You can drop a ball in the fairway within two club-lengths of that fairway edge point, or anywhere between there and the estimated spot where your ball is lost or went out of bounds.
THIS LOCAL RULE IS NOT N EFFECT AT LE MAÎTRE
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our committee members: Marc-Andre Girard (Golf Director), Silvia Lacroix, Diane Perrier, Michel Sicotte (Men's Captain), Daniel Veilleux or myself.
Pierre Dorion
Chair of Handicap committee