Hi Linda,
At my local course a par four has a very steep bank right in
front of the green that slopes down to a lateral water hazard. If your 2nd shot
lands short of the green, the ball will nearly always roll down into the water.
Recently, I hit a shot that was just short of the green and I got extremely
lucky when the ball starting rolling back towards the water but was stopped by
the red lateral hazard stake. The ball was literally stopped by the stake and
was resting against it, leaving me no shot. I know I was allowed to remove the
stake, but if I had, the ball would simply start rolling again and end up in
the hazard. I played this assuming it was like a drop. I removed the stake
and hand-placed the ball at the location it was originally. Can you please
confirm if this was indeed the correct way to play this?
Thanks,
Lou
Dear Lou,
Lateral water hazard stakes are obstructions [Definition of
Lateral Water Hazard]. When you remove an obstruction, the ball must be
replaced if it moves. There is no penalty, assuming the ball moves as a direct
result of removing the obstruction [Rule 24-1].
If I am reading your question correctly, you lifted the ball
(assuming it would roll into the hazard), removed the stake, and placed the
ball. This procedure is incorrect. You may not assume the ball will move, even
though you know from experience that it will. You must remove the stake first.
If the ball moves as a result of removing the stake, you are required to
replace the ball. The penalty for lifting the ball before removing the stake
would be one stroke under Rule 18-2a for lifting your ball in play.
Note that if the hazard stakes are immovable, you are not
entitled to relief. Since your ball is touching the stake, it is deemed to be
in the hazard [Definition of Lateral Water Hazard]. There is no relief from an
immovable obstruction when your ball lies in a hazard. You must play it as it
lies or proceed under any of the relief options in Rule 26-1 for a ball in a
water hazard [Rule 24-2, Note 1].
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
