Course Update - OOB at Thorpe Wood
New OOB Fence on 3rd Hole at Thorpe Wood
During lockdown, the greens staff at Thorpe Wood have been busy maintaining the course, despite the difficult circumstances presented by the pandemic and the weather. One major change and improvement has been the installation of a new fence along the river side by the 3rd hole at Thorpe Wood, which is designed to keep the public off the course.

It is important to recognise that this new fence now defines Out Of Bounds (OOB) along the 3rd hole, from the teeing areas down to the large tree at the bottom of the slope. As such, it is also important to understand the rulings regarding OOB. A detailed document has been uploaded to the Rules of Golf section of the Club Docs on the ClubV1 Members Hub, but in short these rules are ;

1. The OOB is defined as a line between 2 adjacent fence posts at ground level on the golf course side of the fence posts.
2. A ball is only deemed to be OOB if all of the ball has crossed that line.
3. The wire between the fence posts is not part of the OOB marker line.
4. A player may NOT take free relief if any part of the fence impedes their ability to play a stroke - OOB fences are immovable boundary objects, and the ball must be played as it lies or relief can be taken under penalty of one stroke.
5. A player should always play (and declare) a provisional stroke if they believe their original stroke may have gone OOB.

Please make sure you are fully aware of the correct ways to deal with an OOB situation, as incorrect rule application may result in disqualification during competitions.