If a player hits a ball and it rolls towards a hazard and
then rolls along the bridge that goes over the hazard and stops, what are
the player’s options? The stakes were red and green on top indicating an
environmental hazard, not a typical red stake hazard. The ball rolled about 20
feet along the bridge before it finally stopped. So
it stopped above the hazard but safely on top of the bridge. Is it a
free drop at the nearest point of relief because it is a cart path, or is
it a drop with a one-stroke penalty because it stopped directly
above a hazard? I asked a bunch of people and have gotten all kinds of
responses.
Thank you,
Lou from
Dear Lou,
If the hazard has been officially labeled an environmentally
sensitive area (ESA), the player is not permitted to play from the bridge. No
play is permitted within the margins of an ESA. The player must take relief under Rule 26-1.
The Rule changes if the hazard is not environmentally protected. In a regular water hazard, the section
of bridge that is within the margins of the hazard is in the hazard, since the
margin of a water hazard extends upwards [Definition of “Water Hazard”]. Thus,
a ball on a bridge over a hazard is in the hazard. If you decide not to hit the
ball as it lies on the bridge, your relief is the same as for any ball in a
water hazard [See Rule 26].
Should you decide to play the ball, you may ground your club
on the bridge. A bridge in a hazard is an obstruction, and a player is
permitted to touch an obstruction in a hazard [Note to Rule 13-4 and Decision
13-4/30].
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
