A Place in the Rain

My last blog entry was about rolling the ball in your own fairway – something that is not covered at all by the Rules of Golf.  We move on to something similar – and something that is (peripherally) covered by the Rules of Golf.  It has a few names – Lift, Clean and Place, Winter Rules, or Preferred Lies.  Talking about this topic is certainly apropos considering play last night was impacted by rain that fell through the day and through most of the round. The following can be found in the “Committee Procedures” section of the USGA Rules of Golf as far as suggested local rules for dealing with tournament play.

 “When occasional local abnormal conditions might interfere with fair play, the affected parts of the course can be defined as ground under repair. But adverse conditions such as heavy snows, spring thaws, prolonged rains or extreme heat can sometimes damage the course or prevent use of heavy mowing equipment.

When such conditions are widespread on the course, the Committee can choose to adopt a Local Rule for “preferred lies” (also known as “winter rules”) to allow fair play or help protect the fairway. Such a Local Rule should be withdrawn as soon as conditions allow.

The use of this Local Rule outside the fairway in the general area is not recommended as it may result in a player receiving free relief from areas where a ball might otherwise be unplayable (such as in areas of bushes or trees).”  Then then follow it up with suggested rule language:

Model Local Rule E-3

“When a player’s ball lies in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less [or identify a specific area such as ‘on the fairway of the 6th hole’], the player may take free relief once by placing the original ball or another ball in and playing it from this relief area:

• Reference Point: Spot of the original ball.

• Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: [Specify size of relief area, such as one club-length, one scorecard length or 6 inches] from the reference point, but with these limits:

• Limits on Location of Relief Area:

• Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and

• Must be in the general area.

In proceeding under this Local Rule, the player must choose a spot to place the ball and use the procedures for replacing a ball under Rules 14.2b(2) and 14.2e.

So, with that background in mind, here’s the rule adopted by REGL and pulled directly from the 2025 Rules for REGL:

“Lift, Clean and Place is a variation of relief that may be implemented by league officials based on course condition. If Lift, Clean and Place is permitted on a given night of play, league officials will post a placard or sign on the league bulletin board or at the league check-in table to inform players of holes deemed cart-path only due to wet conditions. On holes designated as “cart path only,” players have the option to lift, clean and place any ball in the closely mown areas on the hole they are playing. The ball position shall be marked, then the ball may be picked up, cleaned, and placed within the length of a REGL scorecard turned longways (approx. 8”), no closer to the hole for purposes of finding an acceptable hitting surface.”

  A couple of comments on our rule: 

1) In general, there will be an announcement (via email to the team captains or alternates from the commish) on nights when LC&P is allowed in addition to the sign on the check-in table or the bulletin board.

This leads me to a story from a few weeks ago.  I think it was week 2 or 3…  Got an email from the commish and let my team know that LC&P was allowed.  After telling my players for the evening, I also stopped by my division chief’s office because I knew he was playing that evening with his own captain.  I said, “You should be happy, it’s LC&P in your own fairway tonight!”  (He hates the “roll the ball” rule and would much rather be able to place it.)  Apparently his captain read about half of the sentence from the commish and didn’t see the LC&P language.  So, they play their first drives on #2 (their first hole of the night) and my division chief ends up with mud on his ball.  He says to his opponents “LC&P, right?”.  The guy says he didn’t see anything allowing it, and HIS OWN CAPTAIN says…. “You can’t clean it!”  The mud affected his shot, and he went on to lose that hole and the match by one hole.  To make matters worse, his own captain (with a higher handicap) ended up beating his nine hole score by one and couldn’t help himself from gloating.  So what’s the point?  Maybe if you have your cell phone with you when you’re picking up your scorecard for the night, just take a picture of the LC&P sign on the sign-in table that night in case the competitors didn’t get the word.  If you are sure that LC&P is allowed for that night and your opponents won’t relent, play two balls and record the two scores for the committee to sort out the appropriate score for the hole.

2)  LC&P is ALWAYS available to you on the “closely mown areas” of holes that have been designated as cart path only throughout the season.  #16 is the poster boy for this rule.  The fairway takes a long time to dry out.

3) Use of the rule REQUIRES you to mark your ball before lifting it, and you must place it within the length of the scorecard (no closer to the hole).  I always questioned where we got the “scorecard” guidance, but after reading the suggested local rule from the USGA, it’s actually in there as a measurement guide.  Since everyone has the same scorecard, it’s a common measurement reference and among 4 competitors, someone’s bound to have one.

4)  The phrase “closely mown areas” isn’t defined well, but I would say at Ruggles that would apply to your fairway, the fringe of the green, your tee box, and the green of the hole you’re playing.  Someone else’s fairway or tee box?  No.  Rough?  No.  Bunker?  Definitely not.  Penalty area?  No.

5)  You do not have to take the available relief.  If your ball doesn’t need to be cleaned and you like how the ball is nestled on the short grass, you don’t have to spend the time to LC&P.