Linda, my club recently held the club championship. I asked
about an empty pond, how it was being played since there's no water in it &
it wasn't lined or staked as a hazard. They said to use the mow line as the
start of the lateral hazard. Is this correct? I thought lateral hazards had to
be marked in some way, red stakes or lines. Thanks.
Lou from Pennsylvania
Dear Lou,
A hazard is a hazard, as long as it meets the Definition of
Water Hazard or Lateral Water Hazard in the rulebook. Whether or not it has
water or is properly marked does not change its status. It is unfortunate when
the golf course or the Committee fails to mark one or more hazards.
Nevertheless, the absence of lines or stakes does not absolve the player of the
responsibility to recognize the hazard as such and play it accordingly. If the
course has informed you that the cut line (the “line” where the mowed grass
meets the longer grasses of the hazard) is the margin of the hazard, you must
use that “line” to determine whether your ball is in the hazard and where to
take relief.
Linda
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