Recently in our club a player hit a ball over a red hazard
directly over an out of bounds marker which was behind the hazard.
He dropped his ball under the hazard ruling even though it
clearly went out of bounds.
1) What should he have done?
2) Can you have a hazard directly before an out-of-bounds post?
Thanks,
Lou from Spain
Dear Lou,
The player’s ball is out of bounds. He must return to where
he hit his previous shot and add one penalty stroke to his score [Rule 27-1b].
When he dropped and played a ball at the hazard, he played
from a wrong place. He incurs a two-stroke penalty. In most cases, he would
complete the hole with the ball played from the wrong place. However, in this
case, he gained a significant distance advantage, as he was much closer to the
hole. This is a serious breach. He would have to return and hit a ball from
where he hit his previous shot before
teeing off on the next hole. If he does not, and the Committee rules that he
has committed a serious breach (which they will, if the distance gained was
significant), he will be disqualified [Rule 20-7c].
There is no reason why an out-of-bounds post can’t be
located on the far side of a lateral hazard.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
