At the 2019 presentation, we held our AGM. Several items were discussed and several changes were proposed and were decided by votes for those who attended that evening.
Below are the rules with noted changes which were made and will take effect as of the 2020 season.
Any other rules will remain the same.
For those who wonder where the name of the society came from… The society was created on the 24th of July in 2015 by Chris Hill and Chris Brosnan. The society was originally full of dart players, so as we were away from the oche,
we called the club ‘’Off Our Oche’’
Our ‘’Best 6 League’’ is simple enough to follow. Basically, we have 8 meets set throughout the year. Your BEST 6 scores get calculated and give a score… Highest score wins the league.
Membership for the society is a one off £30. This helps to cover the costs of course booking deposits, end of season prizes, monthly prizes, any expenses/losses,
Guests can play with the society however they will be asked to pay £5 which contributes to the society funds. A guest can play twice contributing £5 each time however on the 3rd time playing, they must join the society, paying an additional £20.
This covers the joining fee and an official handicap will be given once the 3rd card is inputted.
Guests will not be allowed to join in the Nearest the pin, nearest the pin in 2, front, back and overall bets until they have an official society handicap.
We have a handicap webpage which gets updated live so we can all see any handicap adjustments. Please see the handicap page for more information on the societies rules.
Click here to see the handicap rules
ALL buggies to be booked through Chris Hill. Last year players booked their own buggies despite booking requesting a buggy to be booked for them. This caused confusion and double bookings.
Players will not get to choose their buggy partners this year. There were too many players going out with the same players and the groups need to be mixed up more.
Buggies take priority on the morning for who goes out first.
We usually have a side bet of £10 (Not compulsary). This money is split up depending on numbers and is aid out towards the following...
Winner, runner up and all nearest the pins. We agreed that the society isn't about playing to make money. We created a chart which shows the payouts and contributions towards the society funds to help pay for the running and prizes etc.
Guests are not allowed to participate in this side betting until an official handicap has been given.
A meet will be cancelled if any of the following occasions occur…
- Extreme weather
- Lack of numbers (Min of 8 players)
Players who fail to attend a meet, despite confirming they can will play, will get fined £10. This will cover any costs lost to the society.
Blob fines were introduced in 2018. Basically, every member pays 20p for every blob at a meet. This money goes into the society funds.
As a society, each group MUST have a master scorer. This scorer must mark ALL players in the group scores onto ONE card. We have had several issues with cards being marked incorrectly and some not being marked at all.
ALL players must mark a card with their own scores and another person in their group. This is normally decided when the cards are issued out amongst the group themselves.
All Cards must be checked by THE GROUP and checked against the master card. ALL cards must still be signed and handed in at the end of each round. This saves alo of time
There will be a most pars award for the player who has the most pars throughout the season on the par 3 holes. The rules have changed for 2020 and the table will be updated with points scored on the par 3's as apposed to the most par 3's
Gimmes are allowed ONLY if the ball is no more than a putter’s head distance away from the hole. Gimmes are only to be given if all players in your group agree.
- Drop from knee height (NOT shoulder height)
- Measure the area to drop in with the longest club in your bag (except a putter)
- Drop in and play from the relief area
- When dropping back-on-the-line, your ball cannot be played from nearer the hole than your chosen reference point
- Time to search – 3 minutes (NOT 5 minutes)
- If you accidentally move your ball when searching for it, replace it without penalty
- No penalty for a double hit – it only counts as one stroke
- No penalty if your ball hits you or your equipment accidentally after a stroke
- No penalty if your ball strikes the flagstick when you have chosen to leave it in the hole
- Spike mark and other shoe damage on the putting green can be repaired
- Ball accidentally moved on putting green – no penalty and replace
- Ball marked, lifted and replaced on putting green is moved by wind to another position –replace ball on the original spot
- Penalty areas replace water hazards, and you can move loose impediments, ground your club and take practice swings in penalty areas without penalty, just as you can on the fairway or in the rough
- You can’t take relief from a penalty area unless you are at least 95% certain your ball is in the penalty area
- In bunkers you can move loose impediments
- In bunkers you cannot touch the sand with your club in the area right in front of or right behind your ball, during your backswing or in taking practice swings
- Free relief is allowed if your ball is embedded on the fairway or in the rough (but “embedded” means that part of your ball is below the level of the ground)
- Unplayable ball in bunker – extra option to drop outside the bunker for 2 penalty strokes
- You cannot have your caddie or your partner standing behind you once you begin taking your stance
- Pace of Play - it is recommended that you take no longer than 40 seconds to make a stroke (and usually you should be able to play more quickly than that) and Ready Golf in stroke play is encouraged