Hi Linda,
Another question which you may be able to clear up. From the
tee box there is a water hazard in front and to the side there is a lateral
hazard.
If the ball is hit into the lateral hazard without touching
the ground, where should the penalty drop take place? Some people say that as
it didn’t hit the ground then it must be taken before the water hazard (between
the tee box & water hazard).
I’ve attached a rough sketch.
Regards,
Lou from Sri Lanka
Dear Lou,
Your ball crossed three hazard margins on its way into the
lateral water hazard – the front and back margins of a water hazard, and the
left margin of the lateral water hazard. Relief from any water hazard is based
on where the ball last crossed the
margin of the hazard. Your ball last crossed the margin of the lateral
water hazard, so one of your relief options is the two-club-length drop
provided in Rule 26-1c (drop within two club-lengths of the spot where your
ball crossed the margin into the lateral water hazard, no closer to the hole).
Since there is no possibility of dropping on the opposite side of the lateral
hazard (that side is marked out of bounds), your only other relief option is to
replay your tee shot (play a ball under stroke and distance).
If you drop behind the water hazard, as your friends
suggest, you will be dropping in a wrong place.
There is no requirement that your ball hit the ground before
it enters a hazard. The only consideration is where the ball last crossed the
margin of the hazard. If your ball had not crossed any land on the way into the
lateral water hazard, it would have last crossed the margin of the
yellow-staked water hazard. In this case, your relief would be behind the yellow-staked
water hazard. This may explain your friends’ confusion.
Linda
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