Play It

R&A Local Rule E-12

When a player’s ball lies in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less and a putter is not being used for the stroke, the player must take free relief by lifting the original ball and placing the original ball or another ball on an artificial mat and play it from there. The mat must be placed on top of the spot where the ball came to rest.

If a ball when placed rolls off the mat, the player must try to place it a second time. If the ball again does not stay on the mat, the mat must be moved to the nearest spot, not nearer the hole, where the ball will come to rest on the mat when placed.

If the ball on the mat is accidentally moved before a stroke is made, there is no penalty and the ball must be placed again on the mat. If a tee is used to secure the mat into the ground, the ball must not be placed on the tee.

Penalty for playing ball from a wrong place in breach of this local rule. (e.g. failure to use a fairway mat) is general penalty under Rule 14.7a as follows;

• Strokeplay – Two Stroke Penalty

• Matchplay – Loss of Hole

Note: use of fairway mats is not permitted in the teeing area. Under Rule 6.2b(2) and when playing from the teeing area, the ball must be played from the main mat.

In icy conditions where it is not safe to do so, a tee shot may be played from beside the mat but not from the main tee which is treated as ground under repair.