Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Ask Linda #1321-Player hits ball out of bounds from hazard

Hello Linda,
Love your blog!!!

Playing a round the other day and one of the ladies hit into a red-staked hazard. She chose to hit from the hazard and ended up out of bounds. Where would she take her stroke and distance? As I understand, you cannot drop in a hazard, but does this situation allow it?

Thank you,
Lulu from Rockland, Massachusetts

Dear Lulu,

Yes. When you have to play another ball under stroke and distance, and the spot where you hit your previous shot was in a hazard, you may drop in the hazard.

This is an interesting question. Let’s take a look at the player’s options:

1. The player may drop a ball in the hazard and play it under stroke and distance. This would be her fourth stroke on the hole (shot into hazard, shot out of bounds, one-stroke penalty under stroke and distance).

2. The player may choose not to drop in the hazard. or she may drop in the hazard and decide not to play the dropped ball. Either way, she would add another penalty stroke to her score (for taking relief from a water hazard), and play her fifth shot from:
   a. behind the hazard on the flagline; or
   b. the tee; or
   c. within two club-lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the lateral hazard when her tee shot entered the hazard, or from a point on the opposite side within two club-lengths of the hazard margin that is equidistant from the hole.

Please read Decision 26-2/1. The diagram in that Decision will help clarify the player’s options.

Linda
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