Ask Linda #1 - water hazards

Dear Linda,

I'm interested in your new rules column and I think this is great. Played today at Ramblewood with Susie and Daisy (names changed to protect the innocent) and they asked about these two situations:

Red 6, Susie hit her second ball into the creek that crosses the fairway. She found her ball and deemed it unplayable. She asked me what her options were. I told her she could take the ball back as far as she wanted on line with where she went in. She placed the ball which I then told her it should be a drop ball and you play it where it lies after you drop it.

Next on red 8, Daisy hit her second shot off the toe and the ball went into the creek to her right which is marked with red stakes. Susie asked if because the ball was lost could Daisy play her penalty shot from the original spot where she hit from as it was a more desirable place to get over the creek from. I told them that because we knew where her ball was, and that it was marked a red hazard that she had 2 club lengths from the top of the hazard from where her ball entered the hazard to drop.

And both situations incurred a penalty.

Please let me know if I misinformed them.

Thanks,
Lulu

Dear Lulu,

Let’s start with Susie’s shot into the creek. When a player’s ball is in a water hazard, she has several choices. She may opt to try to hit it out of the hazard, in which case she may not ground her club. Joyce preferred to take relief. In that case, she had two choices. Under penalty of one stroke she may either (1) play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (in other words, go back to the spot where she hit the ball that went into the water and play it again), or (2) she may drop a ball behind the water hazard on a line of sight to the hole (I’ll explain this), with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped.

“Line of sight” is a very important concept, and often misunderstood, so allow me a moment to explain it here. When a rule allows you to take relief with no limit as to how far back you can go, this is what you do. Stand behind where your ball entered (in this case) the water hazard, and look directly at the pin. Visualize a line from the ball to the pin, and extend this line straight back. You may drop the ball anywhere on this line. Your ball will be directly on a “line of sight” to the pin.

So you were correct in telling her that the ball must be dropped and played as it lies, and you were also correct in telling her she could take the ball back as far as she wanted. If you brought her back on the “line of sight” to the pin, then you were also correct there and you can have my job!

Now let’s look at Daisy’s predicament. Since the creek is marked with red stakes, this is considered a lateral hazard. Daisy had three options. The first two are the same as for any water hazard. Under penalty of one stroke, she may (1) play the ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played, or (2) she may drop a ball behind the water hazard on a line of sight to the hole (not really an option on Red 8). These are the same two choices that Joyce had. However, since Barb was in a lateral hazard, she has an additional option. Under penalty of one stroke, she may drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths and not nearer the hole than the point where the original ball crossed the margin of the water hazard.

The rule reference for this information is Rule 26–1.

Copyright © 2008 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.