Gil Davis Golf

A little more room to work on your game

Fall golf can be some of the most useful golf of the year. Courses are often less crowded, the pace can be more relaxed, and you may have more opportunities to experiment while you play.

Try the club you have not trusted yet. Hit the pitch shot you have been practicing. Work on a different trajectory. Test a better decision instead of automatically choosing the same shot.

You do not have to turn every round into a scorecard test. How you approach fall golf should depend, in part, on where you are in your golf journey.

Fall leaves, three different approaches

Beginner / New Golfer

Learn the game. Keep moving. Have fun.

If you are still learning how to play and getting comfortable on the course, fall is a great time to get out there.

If your ball disappears into an area covered with leaves and everyone is reasonably sure where it finished, spend a short amount of time looking. If you cannot find it, take a free drop in a reasonable nearby spot and keep playing.

At this stage, learning how to move around the course, make decisions and enjoy the experience is more important than turning a casual round into a Rules exam.

Important: This relaxed approach is for casual or practice golf. If you are competing or entering the score for handicap purposes, follow the applicable Rules and Local Rules.

Regular Golfer

Use common sense — and know when the score matters.

If you play several times a month, participate in a league or are already comfortable with the playing process, casual fall rounds can be handled with a little common sense.

If everyone saw a ball finish in a heavy pile of leaves, agree on a reasonable spot, drop a ball and move on. A casual round does not need to become an excavation project.

But if you are still in league play, competing, or submitting the round for handicap purposes, check the course or league Local Rules and play accordingly.

Your foursome's casual “leaf rule” is not automatically an official Rule.

Serious Golfer

Practice the Rules you will compete under.

Under the Rules of Golf, fallen leaves are loose impediments. You may remove them anywhere on the course, including bunkers and penalty areas.

Be careful: if moving a loose impediment causes your ball to move, you normally receive a one-stroke penalty and must replace the ball.

On the putting green, accidentally moving the ball while removing a loose impediment does not result in a penalty. Replace the ball and continue.

There is no automatic “Leaf Rule.” A Committee may adopt Model Local Rule F-14, allowing temporary accumulations of loose impediments to be treated as ground under repair.

If that Local Rule is not in effect and you cannot find your ball within the allowed three-minute search period, the ball is lost and the normal lost-ball procedure applies.

Tournament habit: Always check the Local Rules before you tee off.

Fall golf preparation

Dress in layers

Fall temperatures can change quickly. Wear layers you can add or remove, and keep a windshirt or an extra outer layer in your golf bag even if you do not expect to need it.

Bring snacks and water

As the season winds down, many courses reduce food and beverage service. Halfway houses, beverage carts and restaurant hours may become limited. Put water and a snack in your bag before you leave home.

Use the extra room to learn

With fewer players on the course, use the opportunity to work on shots you struggle with or have been hesitant to try. A fall round can be practice with consequences — without making every hole about the number on the scorecard.