Hello Linda,
We had our club championship today and would like your help on hazard relief. I hit into the red hazard in front of the green on a par 3. I went to my ball and decided to hit from the hazard because the ball was sitting up pretty nicely. Well, it didn't come out! I decided after one failed attempt to take hazard relief. I looked at all my options – stroke and distance was the best one. I went back to the tee, teed it up and hit onto the green, two-putted for a six. My opponent said that I should not have had the option to go back to the tee because I hit the second shot in the hazard and my only relief was two club-lengths from the hazard line. I explained that I stayed in the hazard and after one attempt I would like to take hazard relief. I felt I followed what I believe to be the procedure but would love to know the Rule and the Decision!
Thank you for all you do!
Lulu from South Carolina
Dear Lulu,
The Rule is 26-2a. This Rule explains all the relief options when a player tries to hit her ball out of a hazard and is unsuccessful. One of those options is the one you chose, i.e., return to the spot from which the last stroke outside the hazard was made (the teeing ground, in your case) to hit another ball under penalty of one stroke.
Linda
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