Linda … if a player inadvertently causes a ball to move
while in a lateral hazard before attempting his/her shot is it an additional
penalty? Let’s say a ball is sitting precariously on some foliage inside the
red stakes of a lateral water hazard. The player, in taking a stance to try to
determine if the ball is playable, inadvertently moves enough foliage that the
ball moves and is now definitely unplayable. Is it just the one stroke penalty
for being in the hazard, or is there now an additional penalty for causing the
ball to move?
Thanks,
Lou from Texas
Dear Lou,
The player incurs a one-stroke penalty for moving his ball
in play. If he wants to try to hit it from the hazard, he will have to replace the
ball. If he fails to replace it, and
plays the ball from its new location in the hazard, the penalty is two strokes.
If the player decides to take relief outside the hazard, he
incurs two penalty strokes – one for moving his ball in play, one for taking
relief from the hazard.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
