Elementary rules of play and safety of Swingolf

Safety rules

  • Welcome to your sneakers or trekking shoes, however crampons are not allowed.
     
  • Before playing or making a trial movement, make sure that no one stands nearby (minimum safety distance of 2 meters) or risks being hit by the stick, ball or ball. Only play when the players in front of you are out of range.
     
  • The ball furthest from the hole is played first.
     
  • Respect your turn, take care of others. Be fair play. Keep a good pace of play, do not hinder the next game by being too slow. Let the faster groups go ahead. Quickly leave the played flag area.

 

Simplified rules

  • At the beginning, the ball is played on the black mats.
     
  • A shot given with the intention of hitting the ball is considered played.
     
  • On the course the ball can be moved 15cm without getting closer to the hole.
     
  • If a ball goes out of bounds, the player must put it down where it was previously played, counting one penalty point plus the shot to be played. The same rule applies to a lost ball. The time to search for a ball is limited to 5 minutes.
     
  • If, on the green, a ball interferes with the opponent's shot, it may be marked and removed from play.
     
  • On the green, a ball touching the opponent's ball is penalized by 2 points.
     
  • On the green, only the putter side can be used. All other sides are prohibited.
     
  • If, during a round, a ball falls inside a green, it must be dropped outside this area, without getting closer to the hole, within two stick lengths.
     
  • An unplayable ball may be picked up and dropped within two stick lengths of its point of impact, without getting closer to the hole, counting one penalty point.

Simplified rules for groups

  • For groups, the game will be facilitated by some suggestions that we suggest for a team approach to Swin Golf.
     
  • Form groups of 4 players.
     
  • Divide the groups over several holes of the course for a simultaneous tee-off.
     
  • Each player plays his ball from the teeing mat.
     
  • The best placed ball becomes the starting point for the next shot for everyone (players will pick up their ball and place it near the best ball to play their next shot).
     
  • The game continues in this way until the green (all participants play the same number of shots).
     
  • On the green everyone will be able to play his ball and count his score.

 

Complete rules

Championship:

  • Swin is played with a soft, harmless ball and a single stick.
  • Each player agrees to respect the rules of fair play as defined by etiquette.
  • It is forbidden for players to agree among themselves to waive the application of a rule or not to apply any penalty incurred.
  • In case of disagreement, the player plays the different solutions considered by the competitors and the scores. The arbitration committee will decide later. 

Penalty: disqualification.


Order of play:

  • On the starting area (tee) of the first game, the player or team that won the draw goes first. The shots played are counted by the opponent.
  • At the start of the following holes, the player or team that won the previous hole goes first. In case of a tie, the player with the lowest handicap starts first.
  • On the starting area (tee), the ball can be raised using a support (tee). The use of the tee is not allowed on the fairway and the green.
  • On the fairway and the green, the player whose ball is furthest from the hole must always play first.

Ball :

  • Each player must mark his balls with his initials or any other distinctive signs so that they are easily identifiable.
  • A maximum of 2 practice shots are only allowed on the playing area (fairway) and the flag area (green). Any shot given with the intention of playing is considered as played.
  • Before playing the next shot, the ball may be moved 15cm only on the current playing area (fairway); it may be moved without bringing it closer to the hole and without changing the nature of the course and the local rules.
  • Any ball raised, at the request of a player, must be marked. The marking is done at the back of the ball in relation to the flag.
  • In case of a mistake on the ball, the player who made the mistake is penalized and must return the ball to its owner. All shots played with the wrong ball count, moreover he must replay the hole.

Penalty: 1 point

Obstacles on the playground (fairway) :

  • Any element, unintentionally placed on the field and not fixed in the ground, can be removed wherever it is.
  • In case of accidental water, temporary accumulation of water on the field and judged as such by the competitors, the ball must be taken out as close as possible without bringing it closer to the hole. The same principle applies in the case of a penalty area.
  • On holes 4 and 5, a ball that falls into a crevice (without water) may be played where it is located without a penalty point. It can also be moved to two club lengths or dropped backwards into the flag line without limit, counting 1 penalty point. In case of a fall into a water crevice (hole 11) the unplayable ball rules apply. 

Location of the ball on the playing area (fairway) :

  • A ball resting beyond the white marking is out of bounds. On holes 1 and 2, the out of bounds is delimited on the left side by the stakes marked with a white square.
  • A ball is considered lost if it is not found within 5 minutes of search or declared lost by its owner.

Penalty: 1 point. 

The shot will be replayed from the nearest place where the last shot was played.

In case of doubt, a provisional ball is played. It must be announced.  

Penalty: 1 point if the provisional ball becomes final. 

All the played shots count.

NB: if the provisional ball does not become final, no penalty is incurred.

Unplayable ball : 

  • The player can declare his ball unplayable anywhere on the field.

In this case the player can :

  • place the ball up to two stick lengths from where it rests without bringing it closer to the hole.
  • replay the ball from the place where he had previously played it.
  • place his ball as far back as he wishes, on the line passing through the point where his ball rests and the alignment of the flag.

Penalty: 1 point.


Flag area (green) : 

  • A ball hit by another ball is put back where it was resting. A ball that hits another ball remains where it rests. If a ball played on the flag area (green) touches an opponent's ball, the player at fault is penalized. 
  • It is his responsibility to request the removal of the potentially interfering ball according to rule no. 3.d. The location of the withdrawn ball is indicated by a coin placed at the back of the ball in relation to the flag.
  • On the flag area (green) it is forbidden to :
  • play the cane between the legs.
  • trample on the ground in order to level it.
  • test the ground by rolling the ball on it.
  • make a big shot.
  • If the ball is on a flag area (green) other than the one played or on a protected surface, the player must, without penalty.
  • The game is over when the ball rests at the bottom of the hole. The last shot must always be played. The ball must be removed before another player takes his turn.  

Penalty: 1 point 

Approved by the Sports Commission of Swin Golf Nax, May 10, 2008.

The label

The label

The label groups together the rules of behaviour of the player with regard to others and the pitch.

THE PLAYERS:

Safety:

Before playing or making a trial move, make sure no one is around. Stand and move in relation to others.

Wait until the players in front of you are out of reach.

Discomfort :

Do not hinder a player preparing to make a move; do not shout, talk or move too close to him.

Slowness:

Maintain a good rhythm of play, don't hinder the next game by being too slow. Quickly leave the played flag area. Record your results away from the game.

The search for a ball should not exceed 5 minutes. Play a new ball (provisional ball).

Let the group following you pass.

The turn of the game :

Respect your turn, take care of the others. A single player has no priority.

THE GROUND:

The grass:

Replace the sods that were pulled out during the move.

The flag area (green):

Do not trample, avoid walking on other players' hog lines.

The flag:

The flag can be removed. In this case it must be placed outside the green. If the flag is removed, put it back as soon as the game is over.

The equipment :

Do not place your equipment or belongings anywhere on the field.

You must know the rules of the game and apply them.

You can ask for help from your partner, a competitor, a scorer or a referee.

The Label is respected regardless of the level of play!

Approved by the Swin Golf Nax Sports Commission, May 10, 2008.

Game forms

Below you will find some methods of counting points during a Swin Golf game.

Stroke play :

Competition where all the strokes are added up. The total number of strokes played minus the handicap gives the net ranking.
Slow game formula.

Stableford :

This system is designed to eliminate extremes so that a beginner who misses a shot completely is not penalized too much. Each hole has a "par", which corresponds to the ideal number of strokes to complete the hole in question. The way to count is to assign points by comparing the score achieved on each hole with a fixed score which is the par of the hole:

 

  • 2 shots more than the par = 0 point (double bogey).
  • 1 stroke more than the par = 1 point (bogey).
  • Equal to the par = 2 points (par).
  • 1 shot less than par = 3 points (birdie).
  • 2 moves less than par = 4 points (eagle).
  • 3 shots less than par = 5 points (albatross).
  • In net, the score achieved at each hole is decreased by the handicap point(s) received at the beginning of the game (I or II), before being compared to the par. Thus no negative points are awarded and from the moment the player has reached the point where he can no longer have any points, he can raise his ball, which avoids very high scores and speeds up the game. In order to facilitate the counting, score cards are available at Nax Swin Golf. The player with the most points wins.


Match play :

Competition by holes. The winner is the player who gets his ball into the hole with fewer shots than his opponent. Each hole won earns one point. In a handicap match, the lowest net score wins the hole. The hole count is expressed in the following way: so many "up" or "tie" holes, i.e. the number of holes won over the opponent and so many "to play" holes.

For example, if player A has won 3 holes and player B has won one hole, we say that player A leads the game by "2-up" (3 holes won minus 1 hole lost).

The game is won by whoever has won the most holes.

Foursome :

Formula of game in doubles, 2 per team. Each side has one ball in play. It is played alternately by each partner, with one team member playing odd and even tee-offs and the other playing even tee-offs. This formula can be played in stroke play, stableford or match play.

Greensome :

Formula of play by teams of 2, each playing a ball at the start. On the second shot, the team chooses the best ball and plays it alternately to the hole.