Ask Linda #141-Unmarked water hazards

Linda,
There's one particular hole, a par 5, on our golf course that is a dog leg to the right (90-degree angle). To the right there is a creek (marked with red stakes) that runs alongside the fairway and ends in a pond at the dog leg. From the back tees to the end of the fairway (or to the dog leg) is around 330 yards. From there you need to cross the pond to get into the green. My question is, should the pond be marked with yellow stakes only, or should it be marked with red and yellow? For some reason there are no stakes alongside the pond. Need your clarification on this one.
Thanks and regards,
Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

The creek that runs alongside the fairway is properly marked with red stakes, which indicate a lateral water hazard. The pond that you must cross to get to the green is a water hazard, and should be marked with yellow stakes. There is a point where the creek meets the pond and changes from a lateral water hazard to a water hazard. There should be one red stake and one yellow stake planted side-by-side at that point, so that golfers may know where the lateral hazard ends and the regular water hazard begins.

When you encounter an unmarked hazard, you have two problems to resolve. First, you must decide what type of hazard it is so that you will know what relief options you have. Generally, if it is not possible to drop a ball behind the hazard, then it is lateral (red stakes); if you must cross it to reach the green, it is a water hazard (yellow stakes).

Second, you must decide where the stakes would be placed if the hazard were properly marked. Stakes are generally placed where the ground starts breaking down to form the depression that would hold the water.

Deciding what type of hazard you’re dealing with and visualizing where the stakes would properly be placed is not too critical in match play, where it is only you and your opponent who have to agree on the proper procedure. However, it’s another matter entirely in a stroke play tournament, where such decisions must be uniform for every competitor. If your course is not properly marked, you might want to discuss the issue with a course official and encourage him to stake the hazards so that all competitions can be fairly conducted.

Linda

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