Bent Creek Country Club GOLF REGULATIONS 1. Registration: A. Members must register with the caddie master or Golf Shop prior to beginning play. B. Members must register all guests in the Golf Professional Shop prior to beginning play. C. All players must begin from the first tee unless otherwise permitted by a Bent Creek golf professional. D. The number of players playing together may not exceed four except when given permission by a Bent Creek golf professional at their assigned tee time. 2. Starting Times: A. Starting times are required from April 1 through October 31. B. Starting times for all open-play days will be available 16 days in advance for golf members, and 9 days in advance for sports members. For example, golf members may begin reserving on Thursday morning for the Saturday of the weekend 16 days later (sports 9 days later) and may begin reserving Friday morning for Sunday of the weekend 16 days later (sports 9 days later), etc. Junior members may reserve a tee time up to 2 days in advance. Tee times may be reserved in person, by phone or via the Club s website at www.bentcreekcc.com. C. In order to provide the utmost playing pleasure for all members, the Club reserves the right, from time to time, to establish rules governing access and starting times with respect to the golf course. Any such rules shall be applied on a fair and equitable basis. The following restrictions on starting times have been established by the Golf Committee: Tuesdays before 10:30 am: Wednesdays prior to 10:30 am... 9 Hole Women only Wednesdays prior to 10:30 am...18 Hole Women only Fridays 8-8:20 am open...juniors only 8:30 10:30 am Saturdays 2 hours after course opens...men over 18 or qualified juniors only (see Section 4) D. Players who fail to show up for their starting time in official Club events may be ineligible for future events. 3. Guests: A. Guests should be accompanied by a Bent Creek member. Exceptions are for guests who are members of reciprocal clubs or guests who accompany a golf professional, club manager or golf course superintendent. The Bent Creek Head Golf Professional may approve additional guests based on golf course availability. These guests shall use carts or caddies and pay all appropriate guest fees. B. All members entertaining guests shall sign or pay for all guest fees prior to beginning play. Caddie fees shall be paid by the member directly to the caddie. C. Guests and the sponsoring member are required to use a caddie or a golf cart. The member shall incur the cost of both caddies and/or carts. D. Guests who reside within 100 miles of Bent Creek Country Club may play the course as guests a total of three (3) times regardless of the number of members introducing them, from April 1 through March 31; excluding Men s Invitational, Men s Guest Days, and outside golf outings. E. A member may have a maximum of three guests on the course at any one time except on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays before 12 noon (or appropriate time at golf professional s discretion), when a member may have only one guest. A member may bring more than 3 guests with Golf Professional or General Manager approval. F. Family guests are limited to six (6) rounds of golf during a Club year as a guest at one-half regular guest fee. Family guests are: 1) Member s parents, grandparents, grandchildren 2) Children of members 25 years of age or older, regardless of residence.
4. Juniors: Clarification of Terms: The definition of the word Juniors as used in this section refers to children between the ages of 5 and 14. Junior Golf Members are individual dues paying members between the ages of 14 and 18. A. General Guidelines: 1. Juniors must be five (5) years of age by June 1 in any year to be eligible to participate in the junior golf program. 2. Juniors are subject to the same rules regarding slow play as other members. Restrictions on Playing the Golf Course and Using the Practice Facilities: B. All juniors under (12) years of age: 1. Must be directly supervised by an adult at all times while playing the golf course or using the practice facilities. 2. May play the golf course after 2:00 p.m. only (except during designated junior golf times). C. Junior Play: Juniors will be permitted to play the golf course and practice in the designated areas at any time, except the pre-designated adult men and/or women periods as set forth in the Rules and Regulations of the Club, provided the following four (4) conditions have been met: 1. A written Rules of Golf and Etiquette test will be administered by the golf staff and the junior has answered at least 90% of the questions correctly on the first taking. The questions answered incorrectly will be reviewed by the golf staff and the junior may retake the test to answer all questions correctly. If a student is unsuccessful in answering 90% of the questions correctly, the student must wait a minimum of 10 days before retaking the test. 2. The junior must prove competency on the golf course in terms of playing skills. The junior must establish a handicap of 20 or less for 9 holes in the USGA recognized handicap program. The junior can establish a usable trend after 5 scores are posted. The rounds used to tabulate the trend must be attested by an adult member and submitted to the golf staff for review. 3. A Bent Creek golf professional must certify that the child has demonstrated an appropriate level of course readiness after watching him or her playing golf. A record of this certification will be kept on file in the golf shop. 4. The junior and a parent must meet with the Bent Creek Head Professional to review the Club s policies in terms of acceptable course behavior and conduct. Note: The Head Golf Professional and/or the golf staff reserve the right to confirm or revoke the certificate of readiness at any time and must inform the parents of the junior as to the reasons for the disciplinary action. Juniors not yet certified in course readiness may play the golf course after 2:00 p.m. with an adult and may use the Practice Facility only for practice. Children under 12, not certified, must be accompanied by an adult at all times. 5. Sports Members: A. Each sports membership is allotted a total of seven (7) rounds of golf between May 1 and September 30. There is no limit to the number of rounds between October 1 and April 30. Sports members will pay a greens fee for all rounds, which is set at the rate of 50% of the guest greens fee rate. A nine hole round counts as a full round as one of the seven rounds (i.e. each membership is not entitled to 14 nine hole rounds), and the greens fee for a nine-hole round for a sports member is 50% of the nine-hole guest greens fee. Junior sports members are eligible for the Junior Golf Program, and rounds played during the junior golf program do not count as one of the seven rounds allotted to the membership. B. If the member-guest tournaments do not fill with golf members, then sports members are eligible to play; these rounds will not count toward the maximum allowable total. C. Sports members may play the golf course either during normal play or in member-guest events when the event fails to fill with golf members. For events played during May 1 September 30, these rounds will not count towards the seven round limit.
6. Children and Parents of Members: Membership rights and privileges are extended to the member, his or her spouse and the member s unmarried children under the age of 25, or who are attending school on a full-time basis. A member s parent or child who is no longer eligible as a family member may play the course as a guest a total of six times a year, and while playing with a member is extended the privilege of using the golf facility at one-half the established guest greens fee. 7. Golf Attire: A. All members and their guests must be dressed in golf attire appropriate for ladies and gentlemen while on Club premises. The golf professional staff is authorized to indicate to members when their attire is inappropriate. Appropriate attire includes: shirts being tucked in, shoes laced, and hats being worn correctly with bill facing forward. B. Men are required to observe good taste and dress appropriately while on the golf course or practice facility. Appropriate attire includes shirts with collars and neat pants or Bermuda length shorts. Fashion mock-turtle necks or turtleneck shirts are permitted. Items of clothing such as blue denim jeans, short-shorts (bottom of shorts may be no higher than three inches from the top of the knee), gym shorts, cargo type pants, athletic/sweat pants, warm-up suits, tee shirts, and tank tops are considered inappropriate. Anyone attired in such a manner will not be permitted on the golf course. C. Ladies are required to observe good taste and dress appropriately while on the golf course or practice facility. Fashion mock-turtleneck or turtleneck shirts are permitted. Fashion collarless shirts with sleeves or sleeveless shirts with collars are permitted. Blue denim jeans, tank tops, gym shorts, athletic/sweat pants, and tee shirts are considered inappropriate. Shorts may be no higher than three inches from the top of the knee. Anyone inappropriately attired will not be permitted on the golf course. D. Sneakers, golf teaching shoes, or golf shoes with non-penetrating spikes are required on the golf course at all times. Practice facilities are considered part of the golf course. 8. Speed of Play: Following is the policy for Pace of Play by all golfers at Bent Creek- If a group fails to keep its place on the course and loses more than one clear hole on the players in front, they must signal the following group to play through, and the following group must do so. This policy will be applied regardless of the number of players in each group. The Golf Committee has determined that under varying circumstances, playing time of approximately 4 hours is considered reasonable time for 18 holes. During normal play, no round should take more than 4 hours and 10 minutes. Using 4 hour and 10 minutes as a maximum, approximately 14 minutes maximum is allotted per hole played. Example of using time to monitor place of play using the 14 minute per hole rule : A group begins play at 9 am. After completion of four (3) holes, it should be no later than 9:42 am. After the completion of nine (9) holes, it should be no later than 11:05 am. The round should be completed no later than 1:10 pm. At the direction of the Golf Committee, the professional staff is to determine slow play based on time. A. General Procedures 1. The Golf Professional Staff will monitor on course pace of play encouraging players who are out of position to play faster or to enforce the policies as listed below. 2. On weekends, the Golf Staff starter on the first or tenth tee will remind all players of the pace of play guidelines and ask one player in the group to take responsibility for encouraging the group to maintain proper speed of play. 3. The Golf Professional Staff has the authority to recommend faster play techniques to groups that are out of position and to require adjustments to remedy the situation. 4. Players making more than a brief stop for refreshments at the halfway house after their ninth hole will lose their position on the golf course. 5. Players who are consistently slow in their play will be required by the golf committee to take off course classes from the Golf Professional.
B. Out of Position Defined First Group off starting tee-the group exceeds the allotted time to play at any time during the round. Second group off starting tee-the group, at any time during the round (a) exceeds the allotted time to play AND (b) reaches the teeing ground on a par 3 or par 4 hole when the group ahead has cleared the green OR on a par 5 hole when the group ahead has reached the green. All other groups - The group, at any time during the round reaches the tee on a par 3 or par 4 hole when the group ahead has cleared the green OR on a par 5 hole when the group ahead has reached the green. C. Enforcement of Policy The golf staff will use the following procedure to enforce speed of play issues: Regular Play - If a group is out of position on the golf course (based on time formula), the staff member will approach the group, explain the difference in time that exists, and give a twenty (20) minute allowance for the group to regain the appropriate position on the golf course. If, after the twenty (20) minutes has expired, the staff member will give the group two (2) options: A. Physically help move the group to the position that they should be on the golf course based on time, or B. Allow the group to continue at their pace and report the infraction to the Golf Committee. Due to the importance of this issue, the Club through consult with the Golf Committee has adopted the following special procedure: The first violation of the 4 hour and 10 minute round rule will result in a warning letter to all members of the group Any subsequent violations will be referred to the Golf Committee and will be handled accordingly. Tournament Play - If a group is out of position during a Club tournament, the following procedure will be used: The group will be given one (1) warning that they are out of position. Once notified, the players in the group will be subject to timing of their strokes as described below. On All Parts of the Course except the Putting Green - Timing of a stroke begins when it is the player s turn to play and he can play without interference or distraction. (Time spent determining yardage and conditions counts in the time taken to play a stroke.) On the Putting Green - Timing of a stroke from the putting green begins when it is the player s turn to play, he can play without interference or distraction, and has had a reasonable amount of time to (1) mark, lift and clean his ball, (2) repair his ball mark, (3) repair other ball marks on his line of putt, and (4) remove loose impediments from his line of putt. (Time spent reading the green counts in the time taken to play a stroke from the putting green.) A player is deemed to have a bad timing when he/she takes more than 45 SECONDS to make a stroke. Penalties for Breach of Rule 6-7 (Undue Delay): STROKE PLAY - One Bad Timing Warning A Total of 2 Bad Timings 1 stroke Each subsequent bad timing 1 stroke MATCH PLAY - One Bad Timing Warning A Total of 2 Bad Timings 1 stroke A Third Bad Timing Warning A Subsequent Bad Timing DQ
9. Caddies: A. On Saturdays, all golfers should use a caddie (when available) or cart before 11:00 am. Golfers may choose to carry their bag and incur a 9-hole cart fee, or use pull cart provided by the Club. B. When a member of the golf professional staff plays the golf course with members, the cost of the golf professional s caddie will be divided evenly among the members in the group, and each member s proportional share will be billed to the member s account. 10. Golf Carts: A. Golf carts must be driven in areas designated by the golf staff and course superintendent. These areas may change frequently and are to be strictly adhered to. As golfers approach each green complex, all carts must be returned to the cart path before the curbing along the path begins. B. Golf cart operators must be at least 16 years of age and have a valid driver s license. C. Only two golf bags are allowed on a golf cart. D. Members are responsible for any damages to golf carts assigned to them or their guests. Damages must be reported to the Golf Professional Shop immediately upon completion of play. E. Medical exemptions may be given to members or guests with physical limitations or injuries at the sole discretion of the Head Golf Professional. Once approved by the Head Golf Professional, the member or guest will be issued a flag for their golf cart. Carts with flags may be driven in areas which may not be appropriate for all carts to enter; however, carts with flags must remain a minimum of 20 feet from all green complexes. F. Failure to operate golf carts in accordance with the above regulations and additional posted rules and signs may result in suspension of cart privileges. G. Malfunctions and needed repairs should be reported to the Caddie master. H. All golf carts used on the course must be rented from the Club. I. Only Pull carts supplied by the Club are allowed on the golf course. J. Personal Golf Carts and Push Carts to be used at the Club must be purchased through the Pro Shop. For Personal Golf Carts, a Trail fee of $ 1,000.00 per year is required along with proof of insurance to be kept on file at Bent Creek. For Personal Push Carts, a Trail Fee of $ 250.00 per year is required. 11. Handicaps: A. All players who maintain a handicap at Bent Creek must post all scores during the golf season. If a failure to post a score is discovered, the player will receive a written warning. If a second violation is discovered, the player may have his or her handicap adjusted at the discretion of the golf committee. B. If 13 or more holes are played, the player must post an 18-hole score. If 7 to 12 holes are played, the player must post a nine-hole score. In either case, scores for un-played holes must be recorded as par plus any handicap strokes that the player is entitled to receive on the un-played holes. C. The head golf professional has the discretion and is authorized to adjust any player s handicap to a level deemed appropriate by the professional without prior notice to the player. 12. Practice Facility: A. The upper tee of the practice facility is for warm-up before play only, and each player will be limited to 18-20 balls before playing the golf course, and is limited to players with a scheduled tee time within 45 minutes of usage. Those who wish to practice only, hit more than 20 balls, or warm up prior to 45 minutes ahead of their tee time will practice on only the areas designated by golf staff. B. Players using the practice facility will be required to obtain their practice balls from the designated area. Golf members will be billed for unlimited practice range usage. Sports members not purchasing unlimited practice privileges will be charged on a per bag basis. C. Practice balls are for use on the practice facility only. Practice balls are not permitted to be used on the golf course, and may not be removed from the practice area at any time. D. Balls shall be hit from designated areas only. E. The practice facility is considered part of the golf course and all golf course rules apply.
13. Miscellaneous: A. Practice on the golf course- The golf course is not a substitute for the practice range. Players may not hit multiple practice shots from the same area. Players may play a maximum of two balls at any one time, provided there is NO DELAY in play to golfers immediately behind. The only exception is when a golfer is supervised by a golf professional during a playing lesson. B. Residential lawns adjoining the golf course are private property and players should not encroach on lawns to retrieve golf balls without the permission of the homeowner. C. In the event of inclement weather, three blasts of the warning horn will signal that all players must exit the golf course and seek shelter. Players must immediately do so. D. No activities including hiking, bicycling, scootering, skateboarding and jogging other than golf may be undertaken anywhere on the golf course or the cart paths during hours when golf is being played on the golf course from the first tee time until dusk. No dog walking allowed at any time on the course or cart paths. E. In the event of a conflict between these rules and the Club s By-Laws, the latter shall prevail.