Linda,
Your opinion on following would be helpful please.
Player plays his second shot over a yellow-staked lake and
the ball hits the incline on the other side, clearing the lake, but then rolls
back into the lake, ball crossing into the lake from other side.
Does the player retake the shot from the original side of the
large lake with the usual penalty, or does the player take a drop from the other
side of the lake, no nearer the hole, dropping within two club-lengths of the
nearest point of the “reverse entry” into the lake.
This continues to be a bone of contention at our club and
needs clarification.
I believe many use the second option, as by the time they
arrive at the other side of the lake to confirm the ball is in the lake they
choose this option to save time returning to play from the previous position,
gaining some advantage with distance and avoidance of the lake hazard!!
I personally believe that a provisional ball should be
taken from the original position until the status of the first ball has been
established. If it is in the lake, the provisional becomes the ball in play.
This question has probably been answered before, but
trolling back through your answers I can’t seem to locate it.
Best wishes,
Lou from Spain (Costa Blanca Region)
Dear Lou,
There is no option to drop a ball on the green side of a
yellow-staked water hazard. The player must play his next shot under
stroke and distance or drop anywhere on the flagline behind the hazard [Rule
26-1]. The flagline is established from the point where the ball last crossed
the margin of the hazard, which in your case would be a point on the green
side. Look at the flagstick, draw an imaginary line that starts at the
flagstick, passes through the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard, continue that line across
the lake and drop anywhere on that line behind the hazard. The player’s next
shot must once again try to cross the hazard.
Your suggestion to play a provisional ball is sensible, but
is only available if the Local Rule permitting players to hit a ball
provisionally under Rule 26-1 has been adopted [Appendix I, Part A, #5]. I
believe your situation meets the requirements to adopt this Local Rule and
warrants consideration by the Committee.
Linda
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