GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE GOLF CENTRE
1. General conditions
1.1. Otepää Golf has established these principles and rules, which are mandatory for all visitors to the Otepää Golf Centre and apply uniformly to all from the moment a visitor enters the Golf Centre.
1.2. The legal relationship between the Visitor and the Player and Otepää Golf shall be governed by the General Terms and Conditions and related documents: the “Etiquette and Pace of Play”, the “Privacy Policy” and any regulations, orders (e.g. instructions on how to move around the course) or contracts between Otepää Golf and the Player (e.g. contract for the purchase of playing rights). In the event of a dispute, Estonian law will apply and the dispute will be settled in Tartu County Court.
1.3. Otepää Golf may amend the General Terms and Conditions as necessary to ensure that players and guests are adequately informed through the website or at the Golf Centre.
2. Definitions
2.1. Visitor – any person entering Otepää Golf Centre, i.e. player.
2.2. Player – a person who has acquired the right to play on the
golf courses in Otepää Golf Centre;
2.3. Otepää Golf – legal entities Proformest OÜ, Otepää Golf & Country Club and the operator of the course SA
Lõuna-Eesti Golf, contact: info@otepaagolf.com.
2.4. Golf Centre – are the facilities, buildings, and other things necessary to enable
the playing of golf and are located on the territory managed by Otepää Golf and may
be used by other persons, e.g. restaurant owner, clubhouse manager.
2.5. Golf course – 18-hole golf course
2.6. Website – Otepää Golf website http://www.otepaagolf.com/et and social media channels (e.g. Facebook).
3. Visitor rights and obligations
3.1. From the moment of entry to the Golf Centre, the visitor undertakes to follow the information signs and indications posted on the Golf Centre’s premises and to refrain from walking in areas not designated for this purpose (including, for example, when seeking the shortest route to the tee boxes or to a destination otherwise chosen, across grassy areas where there are no clearly and clearly marked paths for the movement of people, golf carts or other clearly understandable means of transport or clearly marked areas for traffic).
3.2. Visitors shall treat the Golf Centre’s property, including all mowed and maintained areas such as hitting areas, fairways, greens, etc., in a prudent manner. It should be remembered that all the natural features in the visitor’s line of sight are also part of the Golf Centre’s territory;
3.3. The Visitor shall be guided by the principle that any person authorised by the Golf Centre has the right to remove from the Golf Centre’s premises any person who is in breach of the General Conditions, in an unstable condition, in breach of the rules of the course or in breach of the golf etiquette;
3.4. The Visitor respects the principle that the right to teach golf, to advertise and install golf equipment and to sell goods on the premises of the Golf Centre is restricted to contractual partners by agreement with the Golf Centre. No other person has the right to place advertising of any kind or to engage in sales activities on the Golf Centre’s premises.
3.5. Conduct themselves in a reasonable and courteous manner at the Golf Centre towards the Golf Centre as a whole and towards all employees of the Golf Centre, including all other persons known or reasonably expected to be acting on behalf of or in the interests of the Golf Centre. Disrupting, insulting, mocking, defaming or any other rude behaviour (including spreading false information, boycotting or calling for a boycott of an event they are organising, etc.) will be considered a gross misconduct.
4. Player rights and obligations
4.1. Before the game:
a) Before entering the playing area and renting the equipment, the player pays the seasonal playing rights package or green fee at the cash desk or by bank transfer.
b)The player registers personally at the caddiemaster at least 20 minutes before the starting time and must respect the starting time. If a player is unable to use the reserved starting time, he/she is obliged to inform the caddiemaster as soon as possible. Booking the playing time in advance does not release the player from the obligation to register his/her personal attendance at the caddiemaster;
c) Upon arrival at the Golf Centre, the Player shall park his/her vehicle in the designated parking area. Parking is not permitted where the vehicle obstructs the movement of other vehicles, in designated parking spaces to which he/she is not entitled, in front of, next to or behind a refuse container, in golf cart charging areas, in electric vehicle charging areas unless he/she connects the electric vehicle charging station to the vehicle and in similar locations.
4.2. During the game:
a) A player places a broken tee in the teeing area in the designated groove. The use of ponds made of wood and other natural materials is allowed on the pitch. The use of ‘bio-tips’ is recommended. The use of plastic sticks is forbidden as they damage the pitch’s equipment;
b) The player shall repair all marks on the court (including marks where the ball lands on the gridiron), except for divots kicked from the teeing ground, which shall not be repaired. On tees, the divot location shall be sprinkled with seed mix (if seed mix is present on the tee);
c) The player shall re-groove the bunker after the shot and place the sled in the bunker parallel to the direction of play so that the end of the sled does not protrude from the bunker;
d) The player avoids damaging the grass ridge when making practice shots;
e) The player makes sure that the group in front has moved out of the player’s hitting range by the time the shot is made;
f) The player always gives the fielders/greenkeepers priority to finish their work on the track. The greenkeeper will signal the player to resume play at the earliest opportunity;
g) A player always plays golf courses in one direction only, starting at the tee box and moving to the green, and a player always plays courses in numerical order. If a player decides to shorten their match, they may, if necessary and in case of urgency, stop the match and leave the field. However, this can be done by using the paths that pass through the course in the direction of play. A player must not move in the opposite direction on the course. In the event of risk of disturbance to other players or disputes, the players playing on the course always have priority;
h) Comply with the rules of use of the course and the posted no trespassing signs, trolley and golf cart signs. It is forbidden to enter the area in front of which a direction sign has been installed with a trolley or golf cart.
i) Behave on the course in accordance with the Golf Centre’s rules: “Etiquette and Pace of Play”, i.e. dress on the course in accordance with the golf etiquette. T-shirts, beachwear, jeans, dress shirts, beach shoes, shoes with heels or metal laces (e.g. golf clubs with metal spikes) and torn body coverings are not permitted on the course.
j) Do not bring pets onto the course that disturb other players. Pets are only permitted on the Golf Centre if on a leash and wearing a muzzle;
k) As of 1.1.2021, it is prohibited to drive a petrol-powered golf cart on the Golf Centre premises.
4.3. At the end of the game:
a) The Player shall take the golf trolley and the basket of practice balls to the designated place adjacent to the clubhouse or in the car park after the end of the game;
b)The Player shall return any Golf Centre property borrowed (including free of charge) or leased or otherwise made available to the Player in the same condition as when the property was borrowed, subject to normal wear and tear.
c) The player shall not leave the vehicle with the engine running in the parking lot, in front of the parking lot exits or on the access road.
5. Rights and obligations of Otepää Golf Centre
5.1 The Golf Centre and its employees have the right to require that the Player and the Guest do not:
a) breach the General Terms and Conditions or any other documents referred to therein, i.e.i.e. “Etiquette and Pace of Play”;
b) interfere with or disrupt the Golf Centre’s Players and Visitors, the Golf Centre’s employees or any of the Golf Centre’s partners in the performance of their duties;
c) cause financial loss to the Golf Centre by their actions;
d) defame or disparage the Golf Centre, its employees or any of the Golf Centre’s partners;
5.2. Otepää Golf reserves the right to deal with breaches not provided for in these Rules on the basis of the principles set out in these Rules and in the Official Rules of Golf, both internationally and under applicable legislation, where the breaches damage emotional and material values that are important to the Golf Centre and the damage to these values is proven at least by the testimony of witnesses or by the staff of the Golf Centre.
5.3. In the circumstances referred to in clause 5.1, the Golf Centre has the right to refuse to provide the golfing service to any person and to impose additional financial penalties as set out in Chapter 6, irrespective of whether the person in breach of the relevant rules has paid for the golf (green fee or playing fee).
6. Liability
6.1. The representatives of Otepää Golf are obliged to monitor compliance with the General Terms and Conditions. Any person who breaches the General Terms and Conditions will be notified orally or in writing of the breach and will be required to put an end to the breach immediately. In the case of non-compliance or repeated violations, Otepää Golfs representative does not have to issue a verbal or written warning, but may apply the remedy provided for in clause 6.2 by informing the Guest or the Player.
6.2. The Golf Centre shall have the right to exercise remedies in the event of breach of the General Terms and Conditions, as well as in the event of destruction and non-return of the Golf Centre’s property, in the following cases and in the following manner:
a) Breaking up a golf course with a golf cart or other means of transport, including any other mechanical damage caused to the sports facility or equipment: fine from €320 to €2000;
b) Wrecking a golf car: fine 320 up to 1000 €;
c) Misappropriating and/or playing with range balls outside the range (e.g. on golf courses, practice greens, etc.): No play at Otepää Golf Centre and a fine of 320 to 1000 €;
d) Playing without tee time registration – fine of up to 300 €;
e) Playing without the right to play on the golf course – fine of triple green fee;
f) In the event of a breach of the rules of conduct and etiquette laid down in the General Terms and Conditions (in particular in Chapters 3 to 5) by a Player or Visitor, and as an additional remedy to the fine referred to in subsections a-e of this clause – a ban on playing and/or visiting the Golf Centre; the period of the ban on playing shall be determined by the representative of Otepää Golf.
g) Parking a vehicle in front of, behind or next to a waste container, a golf cart loading area or other areas where parking obstructs the movement of players, golf centre staff or other vehicles will be subject to a fine of between €200 and €1,000 for which the golf centre will issue an invoice or receipt.
6.3. The fine or compensation is payable within 21 days of the player or visitor being notified of such a claim. Other remedies (gambling bans, visiting bans) apply from the moment they are notified. With regard to the ban on playing and visiting, the offender has the right to request its suspension or termination from the Otepää Golf Board (e.g. suspension of the ban on staying to attend a general meeting in the clubhouse).
6.4. In the event of non-payment of the fine, Otepää Golf may assign the claim to a third party for collection in accordance with the Golf Centre’s Privacy Policy.
