As the temperature drops, it’s becoming the thing at clubs to try and protect their precious turf as the wet and cold weather moves in.
I know of many that have employed a Local Rule (MLR E-12) which makes it compulsory to use mats in the fairway.
Having been at clubs where this has happened, I can absolutely understand the attraction. When spring rolls round and the grass isn’t pock-marked full of divots that haven’t healed in time for the opening medal, you really appreciate it.
But mats come in all different shapes and sizes and pose their own rule challenges. I’ve been asked whether players can use them in a teeing area – they can’t – and they’re also not allowed to have any lines that could assist with alignment. At that point, they are a training aid.
Some of these mats sit flat on the ground, others have tracks that allow them to be fixed into the turf. And it’s here where our email question comes in:
“A player asked me if they could tilt the mat so that the ball is on a slight upslope, I said I doubt it and it’s against the spirit of golf I but couldn’t find anything specific to prohibit it in E-12. What is the ruling on this? Is it covered elsewhere in the rules?”
What’s the answer to this fairway mat rule?
Is hitting off an upslope easier? Is it going to be worth the bother if you can’t get the ball to stay in place on the mat? But if you’re one of these deep thinkers of the game that’s always wondering how you can gain an edge while staying true to the rules, it is worth finding the answer.
Our emailer is correct that there is nothing in E-12 that specifies how the mat should be employed and you might think that was the end of the matter.
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But the internet reveals the way forward. We love a Facebook rules group at NCG and, within one, a very similar question came up last year and was adeptly answered by England Golf’s rules chief Sam Barker-Sabido.
Check out our podcast with Sam, it’s a really interesting listen, and there’s not much about the rules that gets past him.
He leaned into Rule 4.3a, which covers equipment and how it is used, and asked The R&A whether a player would be penalised for using equipment in an abnormal way if they deliberately ‘bend their mat in a way that makes it a ‘launch pad’ or creates a flatter lie’ or ‘place their ball on the edge of the mat to ‘tee it up a bit’?’
He was told that if the player was using the mat in an unusual way to gain an advantage, this would not be allowed.
But, and this is quite significant, the governing body also said the Rules of Golf didn’t generally contemplate the use of fairway mats.
In that case, Rule 20.3 would generally apply to such questions. What is that? It regards ‘situations not covered by the Rules’ and says these should be decided by the competition committee “considering all the circumstances… and treating the situation in a way that is reasonable, fair and consistent with how similar situations are treated under the Rules”.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.
What do you think of this fairway mat rule? Let me know by leaving a comment below, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.
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