Hello Linda,
Love your blog and have learned so much from the questions
from your readers and, of course, your answers. Here is a question that came up
during today's round. My ball went into a water hazard that runs parallel along
the left side of the fairway. The hazard is not marked (no lines and no
stakes of any color). There is a slight slope running down to the water line. My
playing partner told me I had the option to drop within 2 club lengths from the
"crest of the slope" which was more than 2 club lengths from the
point where my ball crossed over into the water. I thought I must measure the 2
club lengths from the water's edge, since there were no lines or stakes
defining the margin of the hazard. In support of her position, my playing
partner later sent me Decision 33-2a/4 which states: "Lines and stakes
defining the margins of a water hazard should be placed as nearly as possible
along the natural limits of a hazard, i.e., where the ground breaks down to
form the depression containing the water." I don't think this Decision
applies in my situation. Who's right?
Thanks!
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
Your playing partner is very savvy regarding this Rule, and
you were lucky she was playing with you when your ball went into the unmarked
hazard. She was right, and her knowledge saved you from having to try a shot
that would have been much more difficult than necessary.
When you encounter an unmarked hazard, you have two problems
to resolve. First, you must decide what type of hazard it is so that you will
know what relief options you have. Generally, if it is not possible to drop a
ball behind the hazard, then it is lateral (red stakes); if you must cross it
to reach the green, it is a water hazard (yellow stakes). Judging from your
description, your ball entered a lateral water hazard.
Second, you must decide where the stakes would be placed if
the hazard were properly marked. Stakes should be placed where the ground
starts breaking down to form the depression that would hold the water, as you
noted in citing Decision 33-2a/4. Your two-club-length relief from an unmarked
lateral hazard begins where the ball last crossed what would be the margin of
the hazard if it were marked (the crest of the slope), not from the water’s
edge.
Deciding what type of hazard you’re dealing with and
visualizing where the stakes would properly be placed is not too critical in
match play, where it is only you and your opponent who have to agree on the
proper procedure. However, it’s another matter entirely in a stroke play
tournament, where such decisions must be uniform for every competitor. If your
course is not properly marked, you may want to discuss the issue with a course
official and encourage him to stake the hazards so that all competitions can be
fairly conducted.
Linda
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