We are a 9 hole golf association established under the authority of the Arizona Golf Association (AGA) which gets its authority from the United States Golf Association (USGA). The AGA gives our members their Golf Handicap & Information Network (GHIN) number, if they don’t already have one. GHIN establishes one’s handicap index (H.I.) and tracks their posted scores to update their H.I. The Quail Creek Men’s 9-Hole Golf Association, that’s us, expects our members to be in compliance with the rules of golf, both the USGA Rules and the Desert Duffer Club Rules. This article will go over some of the Duffers Rules as they pertain to playing the game of golf.
Play Ready Golf
The Duffers Rules have many hints on how to play ready golf. The gist of ready golf is, if golfers in your group are not ready to take their shots, and you are ready to take yours, and you are not interfering with other golfers in your group, and there are no golfers ahead on the course that may interfere with your shot, go ahead and take your shot even if it’s not “your turn”. Please review the ready golf hints in the Duffers Rules. DD Club Rules rev. 1-19-2016
Gimme Putt
The gimme putt is applicable for all Duffer tournaments that do not require golfers to putt out on each green as part of the game rules (almost all games meet this criterion). The gimme putt is defined as the distance from the head of the putter to just below the putter’s grip. If the ball is within this distance without touching the grip, it’s a gimme putt. Just pick up your ball and count that as a putting stroke. You’re done with that hole. Don’t declare the gimme putt and still tap out your putt. Our membership numbers are getting too big to let your ego increase the pace of play.
When measuring the distance from the hole to your ball, please DO NOT stick the head of your putter in the hole. This damages the edge of the hole, and more importantly, this doesn’t give you the longest possible distance from the hole to your ball. The PROPER way to measure the gimme putt is to lay your putter on the green such that the sole of the putter head is just against the edge of the hole, and the shaft of the putter is pointing toward your ball. If your ball is below the grip, you are within the gimme putt distance.
This measurement can only be taken with your own putter. No borrowing another’s putter for this measurement, even if they’re your teammate. Oddly enough, those long shoulder putters don’t automatically give you a longer measurement. This style of putter has two grips, one at the top and the other lower on the shaft for your lower hand. It’s the lower grip that defines the gimme putt length.
Maximum Strokes
In Duffer tournaments we play with Duffers Rules–these are the tournament rules for every game. The maximum strokes the Duffers allow for their tournaments (barring a special game rule such as No Three Putts) is double the par. For par 3’s don’t take more than 6 strokes, for par 4’s no more than 8, and for par 5’s no more than 10. These include penalty strokes.
Net Double Bogey (NDB) is the maximum stroke count per hole when POSTING scores to GHIN. This is part of how your H.I. is determined by the USGA. USGA Net Double Bogey
Please don’t confuse the Duffers maximum stroke count with NDB. When playing in a tournament, record on the scorecard the number of strokes you made on each hole, up to the maximum stroke count as defined by the tournament rules. This is your score for the competition. If the scores of this competition are posted to GHIN, any score for a hole that is higher than NDB must be adjusted to NDB at that time. For Duffers games that are GHIN worthy, the Operations Team will post your score to GHIN. Any NDB adjustments are done automatically by the software. If you are posting scores into GHIN for games outside the Duffers, use the option to enter scores on a hole by hole basis. This doesn’t take that long and the GHIN software will automatically convert scores that are too high for a hole into NDB for that hole.
The Duffer Drop
The Duffer Drop rules are quite generous. We only penalize by stroke and not by stroke AND distance. The Duffer Drop eliminates the need to play a provisional ball in Duffer tournaments. This is to promote a faster pace of play. DD Club Rules rev. 1-19-2016
Out of Bounds / Lost Ball / Unplayable Ball (not in bunker)
Take no more than one (1) minute to locate your lost ball. If not found after one minute, use the Duffer Drop rules. This will incur a one (1) stroke penalty.
Desert Relief / Unplayable Ball
Take a drop within two (2) club lengths no closer to the hole — ONE (1) STROKE PENALTY.
OR
Take a drop on a line backward from the hole through the ball’s original location up to fifteen (15) yards away from the ball’s original location — ONE (1) STROKE PENALTY.
If there is no playable drop available within the 15 yard extension, from the end of the extension move laterally, no closer to the hole, to the nearest playable surface and drop the ball there — ONE (1) STROKE PENALTY.
The 15 yard extension and lateral movement to a playable surface also applies to the Approximate Location of a Lost Ball or a Ball Out of Bounds — ONE (1) STROKE PENALTY.
Under USGA rules there is no yardage limit to the backward extension. Using the Duffer Drop rule preserves some of your distance. The penalty strokes do not accumulate for a single situation, e.g. the backward extension plus the lateral move together are just one (1) penalty stroke.
By the way, using a toe wedge to improve your lie is not allowed under any rules. If you feel the ball is unplayable, take relief using the Unplayable Ball rules from either the Duffers Rules above or the USGA rules. Either method incurs one (1) penalty stroke.
Unplayable Ball Further Explained
According to USGA rules a player may deem their ball unplayable anywhere on the course and is the sole judge thereof. If a ball is unplayable, the player can use the USGA rules to address the situation or use the Duffer Drop rules above. USGA Unplayable Ball Rule
If the ball is unplayable in a bunker, the player may use the USGA rules for this situation. Dropping within the bunker is a ONE (1) STROKE PENALTY. Dropping outside the bunker on a backward extension is a TWO (2) STROKES PENALTY. USGA Unplayable Ball Bunker Rule
Backyards
Backyards are out of bounds and MAY NOT be trespassed to retrieve your ball. If out of bounds due to private property, use the Duffer Drop rules above — ONE (1) STROKE PENALTY.
If your ball is on the golf course side of the property line and a wall, fence or gate interferes with your stance or swing, you get relief of one (1) club length no closer to the hole — NO PENALTY.
Decorative Stone Areas
Decorative stone is whole or crushed rock that is used for decorative or functional landscaping purposes on the golf course on the fairway side of the cart path. For example, Coyote #3 between the cart path and the rough near the hole. If your ball is on decorative stone, take lateral relief, no closer to the hole, no extension — NO PENALTY.
Riprap is the angular stone used to line large drainage ditches. Some drainage ditches have concrete spillways or concrete tunnel entrances. Under the Quail Creek Golf Club local rules, balls in these areas get lateral relief, no closer to the hole — NO PENALTY.
However, if your ball is actually in a drainage tunnel, that should be deemed unplayable and be addressed accordingly.
Water
If you hit your ball into a water hazard, use the USGA rules to address this situation — ONE (1) STROKE PENALTY. USGA Penalty Area Rule
If your ball is in casual water, or temporary water as the USGA now calls it, take lateral relief no closer to the hole — NO PENALTY. USGA Abnormal Course Condition Rule
Cart Path
If the ball is on the cart path or the player must stand on the cart path to take their shot, take relief from the cart path one (1) club length no closer to the hole — NO PENALTY.
Handicap Considerations
The Duffers Rules do have an effect on H.I. They can make one’s GHIN H.I. lower by 2-3 strokes for an 18 hole index, maybe more. The main reason for this is using the gimme putt and not incurring both stroke AND distance penalties when using the Duffer Drop rules gives us fewer strokes per round. If you are playing in a Duffer tournament, use the Duffers Rules. If you are playing golf outside the Duffers, and you are trying to shoot a postable golf score for your round, you should play by strict USGA rules. When you post your extra curricular golf score to GHIN (enter scores hole by hole for the greatest accuracy), you will enter scores on par with golfers who do not use Duffers Rules. This will help to mitigate the H.I. lowering effect of the Duffers Rules.
Common Sense Prevails
The Duffers Rules may be applied in lieu of USGA rules for given situations. If a Duffers rule does not cover your situation then use USGA rules. The Duffers Rules are not supposed to be more restrictive than USGA rules or to be used as a truncheon to beat up your fellow Duffers. They are meant to keep the game fair and to reasonably reduce the pace of play. Let’s not take ourselves too seriously.
Golf is a game. Have fun!
Roger Ederle
7 Feb 2025
Quail Creek Desert Duffers 
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