Hello Linda,
Love your blog!!!
Playing a round the other day and one of the ladies hit into
a red-staked hazard. She chose to hit from the hazard and ended up out of
bounds. Where would she take her stroke and distance? As I understand, you cannot
drop in a hazard, but does this situation allow it?
Thank you,
Lulu from Rockland, Massachusetts
Dear Lulu,
Yes. When you have to play another ball under stroke and
distance, and the spot where you hit your previous shot was in a hazard, you
may drop in the hazard.
This is an interesting question. Let’s take a look at the
player’s options:
1. The player may drop a ball in the hazard and play it
under stroke and distance. This would be her fourth stroke on the hole (shot
into hazard, shot out of bounds, one-stroke penalty under stroke and distance).
2. The player may choose not to drop in the hazard. or she
may drop in the hazard and decide not to play the dropped ball. Either way, she
would add another penalty stroke to her score (for taking relief from a water
hazard), and play her fifth shot
from:
a. behind the
hazard on the flagline; or
b. the tee; or
c. within two
club-lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the lateral
hazard when her tee shot entered the hazard, or from a point on the opposite
side within two club-lengths of the hazard margin that is equidistant from the
hole.
Please read Decision 26-2/1. The diagram in that Decision
will help clarify the player’s options.
Linda
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