Water hazards - the rules?

lotie

Like most golfers I have a rough idea about the difference between yellow and red staked water hazards...but not the full picture.

Playing my own course I seem to know what to do by convention but playing other course I'm offen confused!

Basic question is does anybody know a good guide (with pictures) on the rules of water hazards re where is the appropriate drop point.

The ones that real catch me out are red staked hazards that miander up the edge of a fariway so the point of entry can be hard to work out make it seem that they should be yellow all along.
The other one is what to do when a yellow turns into a red and vice versa!

Benicetomonty

Red hazards are lateral, essentially means you can drop beside them instead of behind them based on point of entry and the angle the ball went in within 2 club lengths. Thats why you sometimes see a pro drop on the greenside of a lake if the ball carries it then rolls back in.

Yellow hazards must be kept in between the ball and the hole if you find one and take drop. Basically means you have to hit over a yellow hazard again, whereas thats not necessarily the case with a lateral hazard.

Trampas

I think they should just change it to where you crossed the hazard.

If you roll back in nearest point no nearer the hole.

lotie

Benicetomonty wrote: »

Red hazards are lateral, essentially means you can drop beside them instead of behind them based on point of entry and the angle the ball went in within 2 club lengths. Thats why you sometimes see a pro drop on the greenside of a lake if the ball carries it then rolls back in.

Yellow hazards must be kept in between the ball and the hole if you find one and take drop. Basically means you have to hit over a yellow hazard again, whereas thats not necessarily the case with a lateral hazard.

Thanks for that!

I supose that's my main question. For a lateral hazard is the "point of entry" the point the ball first crosses the hazard or the point where the ball finally enters the hazard. i.e. if you hit a left to right drive that cross over the hazard (say a stream that goes up the left hand side of the fairway) after leaving the teebox and lands on the fairway 200yds away but falls back into the hazard - do you drop up at the 200yd point or are you back in front of the tee?

Maybe for the next post I'll draw a sketch!

Sir Shankalot

lotie wrote: »

Thanks for that!

I supose that's my main question. For a lateral hazard is the "point of entry" the point the ball first crosses the hazard or the point where the ball finally enters the hazard. i.e. if you hit a left to right drive that cross over the hazard (say a stream that goes up the left hand side of the fairway) after leaving the teebox and lands on the fairway 200yds away but falls back into the hazard - do you drop up at the 200yd point or are you back in front of the tee?

Maybe for the next post I'll draw a sketch!

in that case you drop at the 200yds point, within two clublengths of where your ball "last" crossed the hazard. a common misconception with red stakes (or lateral hazards) is that you you also have the option of going back as far as you like from point of entry, keeping this point between you and the flag. Obviously in 99% of lateral hazrds this is not physically possible but if the situation allows it's another option open to you

yaboya1

Yellow stakes signify a water hazard.
Red stakes signify a lateral water hazard.

If you hit a ball that ends up in a water hazard (yellow stakes), you have 2 options:

1. You can play a ball from where you played the original shot under penalty of one stroke.
2. You can keep the point of entry between you and the hole and go back as far as you like and drop a ball on that line . Also under penalty of one stroke.

If you hit a ball into a lateral water hazard (red stakes), you have 3 options:

1 & 2 as above or

3. You can drop the ball within two club lengths of the point of entry not nearer the hole. Also under penalty of one stroke.

Essentially they are pretty similar but you just get an extra option when you go into a lateral water hazard as opposed to a water hazard.

G1032

yaboya1 wrote: »

Yellow stakes signify a water hazard.
Red stakes signify a lateral water hazard.

If you hit a ball that ends up in a water hazard (yellow stakes), you have 2 options:

1. You can play a ball from where you played the original shot under penalty of one stroke.
2. You can keep the point of entry between you and the hole and go back as far as you like and drop a ball on that line . Also under penalty of one stroke.

3 options........... you can also play from the hazard.

yaboya1

ronaldochokes wrote: »

3 options........... you can also play from the hazard.

I was just trying to clear up the confusion regards dropping, but obviously you can play from the hazard if you want, once you don't ground the club or touch the hazard on your backswing.

heavyballs

yaboya1 wrote: »

I was just trying to clear up the confusion regards dropping, but obviously you can play from the hazard if you want, once you don't ground the club or touch the hazard on your backswing.

but you can brush graa on your backswing of course,just not loose impediments which is what happened to Brian Davis this year

PhilipMarlowe

From a previous thread:

Licksy wrote: »

Where to start?

Firstly, water hazard = yellow stakes and lateral hazards = red stakes.
You have a few options:
Yellow stakes (water hazard)
1. play the ball as it lies in the hazard, can't ground your club.
2. play again from where you hit your previous shot, drop (or tee up if you went in from the tee box) and add 1 penalty shot.
3. drop out of the hazard under penalty and keep the point where you (last) entered the hazard and the flagstick in line. Go back as far as you like on this imaginary line.

Now, because of course layout and design, keeping the flagstick and where you entered the hazard in line is not always possible. Hence you get lateral water hazards, marked by red stakes.
With these red stakes, you get extra options.... you have all the ones from above plus:
4. Drop out sideways within 2 clublengths from the point where you last crossed into the hazard (not nearer the hole) under penalty.
5. Drop out on the other side of the lateral hazard at a point equidistant from the hole, 2 clublengths, 1 shot penalty...

People often get confused but I find it really helps if you forget all the "red stakes", "yellow stakes", "lateral" terminology and get your head around the most important thing - Where did the ball last enter the hazard. I often see guys take questionable drops because they are basing their drop on where they picked the ball out of the hazard.
Where the ball ends up in the hazard is only relevant if you are going to play it where it lies! The key point is where the ball crossed over the line between the course and the hazard. You might hit a fade that ends up in a drain pin high but last crossed the margin 40 yards short of the green. It is this point where it crossed the margin that you use when either dropping out sideways (lateral hazard with red stakes) or you keep this point and the flag in line with each other and go back as far as you like (either colour stakes but usually only possible to do this for regular water hazard, yellow stakes).

The option of dropping out on the other side of a lateral water hazard (#5 above) is one that isn't commonly known and can sometimes be a nice option so it's good to know.

heavyballs

Licksy wrote: »

The option of dropping out on the other side of a lateral water hazard (#5 above) is one that isn't commonly known and can sometimes be a nice option so it's good to know.

i thought you could only drop over the green side of the hazard if your ball hit land over that side?(red stakes only)

PhilipMarlowe

Feast your eyes on the amazing graphic which deals with basic water hazards (yellow stakes).

2 guys playing this par 3.

Player A doesn't get enough club on this and splashed down well short.
His options are to take his third from the tee again or else he can drop out along "Line A" anywhere behind the hazard. The line in theory extends back forever but for practical purposes he's not going to drop back further than the tee since he could re-hit from the tee under penalty anyway.
He keeps "Point A" where he last crossed over the margin and the flagstick in line and takes his penalty drop. Wedges on for his third shot, two putts for a 5... ouch.

Player B makes a better effort but his ball lands almost on the green but the spin and slope takes it back into the edge of the hazard, entering at "Point B".
His options are:
He can walk up and see how it's lying, If it held up in the grass / water's edge, he can elect to play it as it lies once he doesn't ground his club.
He could also decide that it's definitely in the hazard and pointless to try and play it and can play his 3rd again from the tee.
He could also take a drop similar to Player A, but with the main difference being that since his ball came back into the hazard from the far side, the point where he last crossed the margin is on the far side. However, he still must drop behind the hazard which means he drops under penalty anywhere along "Line B" at this side of the hazard.

A side issue arises here (Player where you can't hit a provisional ball from the tee before going up to see if your first ball is maybe playable just inside the hazard. I've seen this tried a few times and it's not allowed. Neither can you drop and play a ball provisionally along Line B before going forward to see the situation.

If you chose to play again from the tee or drop, that's the ball in play. You have to go forward to look, decide it'd not worth attempting and then go back to drop or return to the tee if that's your choice - provisionals and water hazards don't mix.

Tom Ghostwood

Licksy wrote: »

Feast your eyes on the amazing graphic which deals with basic water hazards (yellow stakes).

He could also take a drop similar to Player A, but with the main difference being that since his ball came back into the hazard from the far side, the point where he last crossed the margin is on the far side. However, he still must drop behind the hazard which means he drops under penalty anywhere along "Line B" at this side of the hazard.

This is great, thanks. "This side of the hazard" - as in on the tee box side of the lake yeah?

heavyballs

thanks Licksy but am i right in saying that if those staked were red player b would be able to drop on the green side of the lake

Kace

heavyballs wrote: »

thanks Licksy but am i right in saying that if those staked were red player b would be able to drop on the green side of the lake

Correct.

---

Amazing the number of people who don't know where to drop for yellow stake water hazards.

It's also quite common (to allow for a fair dropping area) to see a water hazard with yellow stakes on one side and red on the other. Where they meet there should be a red and yellow stake together.

heavyballs

Kace wrote: »

Correct.

---

Amazing the number of people who don't know where to drop for yellow stake water hazards.

It's also quite common (to allow for a fair dropping area) to see a water hazard with yellow stakes on one side and red on the other. Where they meet there should be a red and yellow stake together.

ta,you're right,they meet in my local course,if they didn't i would let them know

PhilipMarlowe

Another high quality image...
A & B are playing their second shots to this difficult par 4...

Player A hits a weak slice and although his ball ends up almost pin high in the stream, he has the following options...
1. Risk playing it as it lies, can't ground his club etc.
2. Drop under penalty and re-hit (4th shot) from the same place he hit his second.
3. The last place his ball crossed the margin of the hazard was at Point A so he can keep this point and the flagstick in line and go back as far as he likes along Line A. He must drop the ball behind the hazard.

Player B hits his shot and hits more turf than ball and his ball bobbles misreably into the stream, this part of which is marked by red stakes. He has the following options...
1. Risk playing it as it lies, can't ground his club etc.
2. Drop under penalty and re-hit (4th shot) from the same place he hit his second.
3. The last place his ball crossed the margin of the hazard was at Point B so he can keep this point and the flagstick in line and go back as far as he likes along Line B. He must drop the ball behind the hazard.
You will notice that these options are exactly the same as for Player A.
However, he also gets another couple of options since it's a Lateral Water Hazard (red stakes).
Keeping the point where the ball last crossed into the lateral hazard and the flagstick in line isn't always possible so he also can;
4. Drop out sideways within 2 club lengths from Point B which is marked "X" in the image. This is the most common option chosen. However, there is one more (almost unknown) option.
5. He could drop out at a point equidistant from the hole from Point B (where he last crossed the margin) on the other side of the lateral water hazard. This is represented by "Y" in the image.
Player B know this rule and takes this option, dropping in the light rough but leaving an easier pitch up the length of the green... makes an up & down for a 5.


Naturally there are flaws in the drawing but in general where a single body of water has part of it marked with red stakes and part of it with yellow it's because the design of the hole doesn't allow you to keep the point where you crossed into the hazard and the flag in line. Most times you can and these are regular (yellow stakes) water hazards. Those times you can't the hazard should be marked with red stakes allowing the "get out sideways" options.
The key is watch the flight of your ball and know where it last crossed the margin. You see plenty of guys in Player A's situation trying to take a drop out sideways opposite where their ball is lying in the hazard. I know it's done through ignorance but...

Miley Byrne

Looks like a great golf hole Licksy, where can I play it!!!!

PhilipMarlowe

denisoc16 wrote: »

Looks like a great golf hole Licksy, where can I play it!!!!

The 2nd shot is the easy bit, it's the tee shot that's a b****!
By the way, it's (loosely!) based on the 4th at Gowran Park, index 2, dogleg left par 4, 440 yards.
Tee Shot
2nd Shot