Rule 33 outlines the responsibilities of a Tournament Committee. One of these responsibilities is setting up the course for the competition. In addition to defining the out of bounds, margins of water hazards and lateral water hazards, the setup requires the selection of hole locations.
Few Committee tasks have a greater impact on the players than the selection of hole locations. The locations impact the difficulty of the course, speed of play and ultimately, the overall challenge of the course. The selection of the hole locations requires an intimate knowledge of the game of golf, the abilities of the competitors, and the course itself. Because of this, the selection of hole locations is usually the responsibility of the Rules Chairman.
One question I’m frequently asked is; “How far from the edge of a green must a hole be located, to be considered legal?” Contrary to popular belief, there are no written rules regarding hole locations and therefore, no such thing as “legal” or "illegal" hole locations. However, many factors influence hole location selection. First and foremost is good judgment in deciding what will achieve fair results. While selecting hole locations can be fun, they should never be gimmicky. No one enjoys outlandish pin placements!
- Under no circumstances should holes be located in tricky places or on sharp slopes where a ball can gather speed. A player putting from above the hole should always be able to stop the ball at the hole.
- An area of 2-3 feet in radius around the hole should be as level as possible and of uniform grade.
- The hole should be located at least four or five paces from the edge of the green. The distance should be greater if a bunker is close to the edge or if the ground slopes away from the edge.
- Consider the condition of the turf near to the hole, especially taking care to avoid old hole plugs and pitch marks, which have not completely healed.
- Take into consideration expected weather conditions including wind and rain.
- Take into consideration the firmness of the green.
- There must be enough putting-green surface between the hole and the front and sides of the green to accommodate the required shot. For example, if the hole requires a long-iron or fairway-wood shot to the green, the hole should be located deeper in the green and further from its sides than would be the case if the hole requires a short pitch shot.
- There should be a balanced selection of hole locations with respect to left, right, central, front and back positions.
- In multiple-round tournaments, anticipate the player’s traffic patterns. Locate holes for early rounds so that players, when leaving the green, will not spoil good hole locations for later rounds
- Holes should be cut as nearly on the vertical as possible, not plumb with the contour of the green.
At most
clubs, there seems to be a fear that the course will be set too easy for the
competitors. Clubs want some sort of protection for their course and its par.
Clubs continually request that “Sunday” hole locations. This should never be
the aim. Obviously, special circumstances exist when the world’s best
professionals are competing for millions of dollars. However, the same
principles that apply at this level should also apply when setting up a course
for a Saturday four-ball or club championship. Basically, these are to present
an interesting yet fair challenge for the players.
For more information on Rule 33 or any Rule of Golf, or to purchase a copy of The Rules of Golf or The Decisions on the Rules of Golf, log on to the RCGA website at www.rcga.org.