RULES, CONSTITUTION
AND ETIQUETTE

Rules of the Farmhouse Golf Society (FGS)

1. To qualify to win any event, full FGS membership must have been paid and the player must have a valid FGS handicap. For 2023 the annual membership fee is £25.
2. Full payment for each event is required in advance of the day from each player and guest. Members receive a discounted event fee.
3. Any person joining on or after 1st August and before end of the current season, will have the membership fee adjusted by 50%.
4. Each regular event is held over 18 holes for a Stableford Competition unless otherwise stated. The highest Stableford score is the winner.
5. Any new member, whether joining at the start or midway through a season, will have to prove handicap ability.
6. The Handicap Secretary will issue and manage handicaps. All methodologies used for this calculation are available on request from the Handicap Secretary.
7. If a player has an official club handicap and a Society handicap, then they must play off of the lower of the two.
8. You must mark someone else's card and not your own. Mark your playing partner’s number of shots only and leave the Stableford score blank on the card for assessment by the officials at the end of the game. Both you and the person whose card you have marked should sign it at the end of the round to confirm the score is correct.
9. In the event of a tie the best score for the last 9 holes will be used. If still a tie the last 6 will be used and then the last 3 holes until an outright winner is found.
10. Guests playing on the day will not be able to win any trophies or prizes for placing. However, at the Committee’s discretion they are entitled for any of the Nearest the Pin [and derivatives] and Longest Drive awards.
11. The Society operates an order of merit throughout the year known as “The Race to Dorking”. Some players may not be able to attend every Society event and so the best four scores of each player are used to calculate the order. Full FGS membership must have been paid to qualify for The Race To Dorking.
12. Society Events and Competitions will be played under R&A Rules of Golf.
13. When playing in a Society Competition, members should adhere to all rules of the host Golf Club (usually be found on the reverse of the scorecard).
14. The standards of dress code and behaviour on the courses must be maintained at the highest level.
15. Any objections or complaints about the event in which you partake should be raised with the lead Committee member on the day of the event. The Captain will then investigate and decide on what action, if any, needs to be taken.
16. Failure by a member to attend a society event having previously committed to do so, and without notification to a Committee member within 48 hours of the start of an event, will result in that member being charged fully for the green fee and any associated costs (e.g. food).
17. It is the responsibility of the member to ensure they have sufficient insurance for all eventualities.

Constitution of the Farmhouse Golf Society

Objective

We are a friendly and sociable golf society based out of The Farmhouse Pub in Horley. We play Stableford competitions at a number of courses in the South East throughout the year plus a Christmas Scramble in December.

We are always looking for new members to join us and welcome people with all levels of experience. It doesn't matter if you're already a member of a club or not, many of our people only play within the society, whilst others are active members of one of the local clubs. For us, being a member of a society is a fun way to play a bit of golf, meet a few of the locals and to try a number of different courses over the year.

For the Society playing golf is a source of great pride and pleasure so naturally we wish every golfer who plays with us to enjoy their game to the full. Making yourself aware of the rules of golf will avoid any embarrassment to you or to the officials and members of the Society.

Membership

Membership shall be open to any person wishing to abide by the Constitution and the Rules as prescribed by the Farmhouse Golf Society.

All applications should be completed online. Membership fees’ can be paid in cash at the first event attended or via Electronic Bank Transfer (BACS). Details can be found on the society website. Alternatively banking details can be supplied on request. The committee shall determine acceptance of membership.

To manage the money collected on a Society Day an HSBC Bank account will be managed by the Captain and the Treasurer of the Society. The accounts will be audited twice a year by the Treasurer who will produce a schedule of profit & loss and events summery at the AGM.

In the unlikely event of a complaint being received, and upheld, from a Golf Club function we have held or we have visited, or from another Society member due to a members conduct either on the course or in the clubhouse, one written warning will be given about their behaviour. If the Society receives a second complaint about the same member and that complaint is also upheld, the said member will be ejected from the society. That said member is also entitled to the Right of Appeal and the Committee’s decision will be final. If any member is ejected, they will not be eligible to take part in any future Society tournaments. An ejected member’s membership fee will not be refunded.

The Society Committee reserves the right to refuse or suspend any membership at any time.

The Committee is comprised of:

• President (Tracey Traszko)
• Captain (Helen Wickens)
• Vice-Captain (Chris Miller)
• Treasurer (Jane de Beer)
• Handicap Secretary (Paul Harling)
• Media Secretary (Andrew Addison)
• Ordinary Member (Darrell Stacey)

Etiquette

All members should be aware of, and follow, the Rules of Golf (as laid down by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews), the Constitution and Rules as prescribed by the Farmhouse Golf Society.

It is important that members are up to date with the rules of golf as changes are made from time to time. It is also important to check the local rules on the score card to identify the boundaries of the course before you play.

Details of some of the more standard rules that come into play frequently during a game of golf, and have historically brought cause for discussion during Society matches, are printed at the back of this document. There are also some points of etiquette noted.

Some Rules of Golf

1. If your ball is in a water hazard (yellow stakes and/or lines) you may play the ball as it lies or, under penalty of one stroke:
1. play a ball from where your last shot was played, or
2. drop a ball any distance behind the water hazard keeping a straight line between the hole, the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard and the spot on which the ball is dropped.
2. If your ball is in a lateral water hazard (red stakes and/or lines), in addition to the options for a ball in a water hazard (see above), under penalty of one stroke, you may drop within two club-lengths of, and not nearer the hole than:
1. the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard, or
2. a point on the opposite side of the hazard equidistant to the hole from the point where the ball last crossed the margin.
3. If your ball is lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds you must play another ball from the spot where the last shot was played, under penalty of one stroke, i.e. stroke and distance.
4. You are allowed 5 minutes to search for a ball. If it is not found within 5 minutes it is lost. This is changing to 3 minutes in 2019.
5. If, after playing a shot, you think your ball may be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds you should play a provisional ball. You must announce that it is a provisional ball and play it before you go forward to search for the original ball. If the original ball is lost (other than in a water hazard) or out of bounds, you must continue with the provisional ball, under penalty of one stroke. If the original ball is found in bounds, you must continue play of the hole with it, and must stop playing the provisional ball.

Society Etiquette

1. If you are unable to score with your next shot, please pick up your ball to reduce slow play.
2. Keep up with the group in front.
3. There are no gimmes; the ball must be putted out.