SGAA RULES OF PLAY – as of 01/06/2026

USGA, PGA and local course rules shall govern play except as listed below. While SGAA Rules may seem to be very tolerant it is for the benefit of members of the Senior Golfers Association of Atlanta and to promote speedier play. Any member or members wishing to abide strictly by USGA and PGA rules are welcome to do so. 

1. A PLAYER--May pick up to identify, clean or exchange a ball that comes to rest anywhere within the boundaries of the golf course and replace the ball one club length, or within one club length, no closer to the hole without penalty except on the green (see rule #3), or in a sand trap (see rule #4). The ball must be placed in the same general environment (1st cut, 2nd cut, rough, etc.) as it originally came to rest. If a ball cannot be played within one club length, it can be moved any distance on a line of entry back towards the last point the ball was struck with a one stroke penalty. 

2. ON THE GREEN—A player may mark the ball location and pick up to identify, clean or exchange his ball. Ball must be replaced at the mark where it was picked up. 

3. SAND TRAP PLAY—If your ball is in a bunker and lies in a footprint (human or otherwise), any untended sand marks from a previous player or maintenance equipment, you can pick up your ball, rake the area of untended marks and replace your ball in the same spot without penalty. Also, any ball resting in water or mud can be pulled out and placed one club length from the water or mud no closer to the hole but still in the bunker, without a penalty.

4. BALL OUT OF BOUNDS, UNPLAYABLE or LOST—When a ball is hit out of bounds or declared unplayable (see rule #2) or lost, after searching for a maximum of three (3) minutes, the player may place his ball any distance along the flight of the ball where the ball went out of bounds, is presumed lost or determined unplayable. The three-minute countdown starts when the player first starts searching for their ball. A one (1)-stroke penalty shall be counted. 

5. 14 CLUB RULE—Each player shall have no more than 14 clubs in his bag or face disqualification from that round. 

6. DROP LOCATION—Except as indicated below official drop zones, a ball hit into a hazard must be marked off from the side of initial entry into that hazard as stated above (where the ball first crossed the hazard). 

7. NEAREST TO THE PIN—The position of the marker shall identify the edge of the ball nearest the cup. In the event of a tie the first ball that was posted is the winner. A player making a hole in one will place his name on the marker with an HIO indication and place the marker on the side of the green. It is also suggested that any marker that would be in a direct line from the tee box to the hole be moved one club length on the left or right of that line but keeping the same distance from the flag. 

8. GIMMIE RULE--- There are no "gimme" putts allowed. The ball must be holed out to bogey or better.  If you miss your bogey putt, pick up and write down a score of double bogey.

9. GUEST PLAY—Members may bring a guest during the year, except designated tournaments when published to the membership. However, members have priority in the event of a cart shortage. The cards for this foursome will be held by the table captain until all member players have checked in, holes and carts assigned. After this time, the foursome with a guest can be assigned a hole. As stated, in the event of cart shortage the guest will not be allowed to play, and the remainder of that foursome has the choice of playing (if there are openings in a group) or not playing. Never will an SGAA member be asked to leave and a guest allowed to play.

10. PRE-REGISTRATION---1.To register, up to seven days in advance, complete the form on the web ( Registration (sgaofatlanta.org)  with the names/numbers of your group, the day of the week you are registering for, and the date and course. This should be received by noon two days before the event. Changes/additions to your group and additional registrations will be accepted up to noon on the day before the event. The tee sheet will be posted after noon on the day before the event and will be found at Registration (sgaofatlanta.org) Upon arrival at the course, check with a member of your group or the table to see if your group has checked in. If not, prepare the scorecards (per the tee sheet) and pay the table fees for the group. After the noon deadline on the day before the event, if there are any changes, please notify the table captain as soon as possible. Note that if you register less than a foursome, the table captain MAY break up your group to maximize the number of foursomes and reduce the number of required carts.

11. DROP ZONES----The club will allow members to play from pre-designated drop zones in front of specific hazards on selected holes as determined by the tee-box committee and approved by the BOD. The official drop zones are listed in Appendix A below.

12. TEES FOR 90-YEAR-OLD “D” PLAYERS---- If they so desire, 90-year-old “D” players may play from the forward tees. 

APPENDIX A

SGAA Drop Zones

The drop zone program is intended to make the rounds more enjoyable/playable for our shorter hitters. In general, if a hazard (generally a water hazard) exists on a tee-shot, is deemed to be overly difficult for our shorter hitters to cross it, AND there is no alternative way to play the hole other than crossing the hazard, that hole was considered a candidate hole for consideration for inclusion in the program. 

In addition to making the rounds more playable for shorter hitters, the program will standardize some practices currently used by some, but not all, of our players (number 11 at Bear Creek is a good example as well as number 16 at CC of Gwinnett or 16 at Panola Mountain). This program will help keep everyone playing by the same rules for each hole. 

The drop zones will be marked by the first group playing that hole and will be retrieved by the final group playing that hole, much as we do with close-up markers. Markers will be provided to and maintained by the tables but, again, will be put out and retrieved on the day of play by the first and last players on that hole, respectively. The markers will either be a small orange cone or an engineering flag (such as they use to mark underground cables, etc.). The table will highlight DZ holes on score cards much as they do for move-ups. 

On holes where a drop zone has been identified, players may drop a ball within two club lengths of the marker, but no closer to the hole. This is not a free drop. A one stroke penalty will be charged for being in the hazard as we normally do. The only difference is that the ball may be dropped on the far side (hole-side) of the hazard vs. the near side (tee-side). IF a player, for whatever strange reason, chooses to play from the near side of the hazard, they may take their penalty stroke and do so in accordance with normal rules of golf (and drop the ball anywhere along the line flight from where the ball last crossed into the hazard and the hole).

Where no drop zone is identified (such as where the second shot is over water or the hazard is simply not sufficient to warrant a DZ, etc.), SGAA rules of golf apply. The ball will be dropped anywhere back along the line of flight between the point where it last crossed into the hazard and the hole. 

Holes may be added (or subtracted) from this list as needed via alterations presented by the committee to the Board of Directors. Furthermore, the description of the drop zone location may change when needed as determined by the committee without the approval of the Board of directors. 

The following is a list of holes in the program at the start of the 2026 calendar year. 

Hole number, description, drop zone placement

Ashton Hills

Number 6: Par-3 over water. Drop zone should be placed to the right of the cart path before you get to the stone pump house. 

Number 13: Par-3 over water. Drop zone should be behind the green within three yards of the cart path (so, chipping downhill with water on the far side of the green).

Bear Creek

Number 11: Par-3 over water. Drop zone should be to the right of the cart path within about 10 yards of the water on a line between the tee-box and the green. 

CC of Gwinnett: 

Number 13: Par-5 with drive over water. Drop zone should be of the bridge, to the left of the cart path, in the center of the fairway, within 10 yards from the water’s edge. 

Number 16: Par-3 over water. When facing the green from the cart path adjacent to the green, the drop zone should be roughly 10 yards to the left of the green. When facing the green from the drop zone, a bunker should be to your left front. 

Hard Labor Creek: 

Number 12: Par-3 over water. Drop zone should be immediately past the water, to the right of the cart path, within 3 yards of both the water’s edge and the cart path.

Number 15: Par-5 with drive over water. Drop zone should be on the far side of the water, to the left of the cart path, within 10 yards of both the water and the cart path. 

Honey Creek:

Number 10. Dog-left with drive over water. Drop zone should be on the far side of the lake, in the center of the fairway, within 10 yards of the water.

Mystery Valley:

Number 10: Par-5 with drive over water (when the tee is situated on the club-house side of the lake). Drop zone should be past the water, to the right side of the cart path, within 10 yards of both the cart path and the water’s edge (the forward tees are often placed where the DZ should be). 

Panola Mountain: 

Number 12: Short par-4 with a tee-shot over water. Drop zone should be within five yards of both the cart path *as you approach the green) and the water’s edge on the far side of the lake.

Number 16: Par-3 over water. Drop zone should be within about 2 yards of the water’s edge at the low end of the green (between the edge of the green and the water to the right of the green as you walk down the hill from the cart path). 

Pine Hills:

Number 3: Par-4 with tee-shot over water. DZ should be on the far side of the lake, to the right of the cart path, and within 10 yards of both the cart path and the water’s edge. 

Number 10: Par-5 with tee-shot over water. DZ should be to the right side of the cart path, just past the water, and within about 5 yards of both the cart path and the water’s edge. 

Providence: 

Number 9: Par-5 with a tee-shot over water. Drop zone should be on the far side of the water, centered on the fairway, to the left of the cart path (so, between the water’s edge and the cart path). 

Southland: 

Number 2: Tee-shot over water. The drop zone should be past the water to the right of the cart path within 10 yards of both the water and the cart path.