Since the summer of 2005, as hopefully you have noticed when playing the course and as mentioned in the Course Superintendent’s letter, we have been gradually introducing stone free topsoil into the rough areas. The soil has then been sprayed with round up to prevent weed growth and then rolled, resulting in a desert hard pan which is intended to provide a much better and more suitable playing surface for miss hit shots.
For the Spanish Seniors & Ladies Professionals Championship Pro-Am 2007 held in November last year, the official tournament committee decided that the ball should be played from where it lay in the desert hard pan areas, setting aside this particular Local Rule and thus creating a new challenge to the amateur players in the field. The results and comments received from the amateur competitors tended to confirm the opinion that the works carried out in the desert areas of the golf course by that time had achieved the desired effect.
At a meeting of the Club Officials held on the 30th January, Club Captain Helen Lavis therefore proposed, for due consideration, the withdrawal of the current ‘Temporary Local Rule’ that allows a player one club length’s relief for a ball lying on any desert area.
Helen commented:
“The Club committee instigated the ‘play as it lay’ rule in several Club competitions over the Christmas and New Year period. From the players that competed within these events, the overall opinion was favourable and after the committee had reviewed individual player’s scorecards, it was noted that players’ scores on the whole, were indeed better. The Indiana course is as ready as it ever will be to proceed to this next stage of development and we should both celebrate and congratulate all who have worked so hard to achieve this.”
Consequently, it has been unanimously agreed by the Club Officials that from the 22nd March, 2008 Desert Springs Golf Club’s ‘Temporary Local Rule (1)’ for play on the Indiana course will be withdrawn.
For further information contact: Helen Lavis-Club Captain
E-mail: helen@langford-golf.uk
Telephone: +34 617 587 150
