Linda,
There
seems to be conflicting information or just a matter of semantics involving a
ball landing in a lateral water hazard, and declaring a ball unplayable.
Rule 28 - Unplayable states: The player may deem his ball
unplayable at any place on the course,
except when the ball is in a water hazard.
The player is the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable.
The player in our foursome declared her ball
unplayable because it landed in a lateral water hazard just to the right of the
tee.
I said she could not declare the ball unplayable, per Rule 28b, because
it landed in a water hazard. Well she re-teed the ball anyway, which I came
to find out with further research she was right.
If a ball lands in a lateral water hazard, the player always has
the right to re-tee her ball.
So when Rule 28 states except water hazards do they
meaning water hazards marked with yellow stakes as opposed to red stakes?
Or does it mean that if your ball lands in a water hazard
one follows the directions stated in Rule 26 - Water Hazards?
I hope my question is clear. Thanks for your response in
advance.
Lulu
from Burbank, California
Dear
Lulu,
A
player may not declare her ball “unplayable” in any water hazard, both regular
and lateral (yellow stakes and red stakes) [Rule 28]. A lateral water hazard is, by Definition, a water hazard.
The
relief options for a ball in a water hazard are not identical to the relief options for an unplayable ball. For
example, a player whose ball lies in a water hazard may not drop a ball within
two club-lengths of where the ball lies in the hazard, which is a relief option
for an unplayable ball.
The
stroke-and-distance relief option is available both for unplayable balls and for
balls in water hazards. In fact, a player may play a ball under “stroke and
distance” at any time, regardless of where her ball lies.
The
player is not penalized for mistakenly calling her ball in the hazard
unplayable, since the relief option she chose is available for a ball in a
hazard.
Linda
Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
