Golf Print
Water Hazards
What to do if you find yourself in the WATER on 4th, 8th or 9th
Milltown’s new water hazard, between the 4th, 8th, and 9th holes, has both yellow stakes and red stakes, so it is important to know the difference.
Relief from water hazards – Rule 26-1:
Remember, that if your ball is known or virtually certain to be at rest inside the margins of a water hazard you may always choose one of these two options;
- Play the ball from within the hazard, without penalty, providing you do not ground your club.
- Under penalty of one stroke, play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played.
There is a third option, when the ball has crossed the margin of a hazard that is designated by yellow stakes (i.e. water hazard);
- Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped.
There are two more options when the ball has crossed the margin of a hazard where it is designated by red strakes (i.e. lateral water hazard);
- Drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.
Let’s look at some examples.
4th hole - when the ball last crosses the margin of the hazard between yellow stakes;
- Where a stroke A crosses the margin of the hazard at point X the player may drop their ball anywhere along a line from that point X through point a.
- Where a stroke B crosses the margin of the hazard at point X the player may drop their ball anywhere along a line from that point X through point b.
8th hole - when the ball last crosses the margin of the hazard between yellow stakes;
- Where a stroke C crosses the margin of the hazard at point X the player may drop their ball anywhere along a line from that point X through point c.
9th hole (men’s tees) - when the ball last crosses the margin of the hazard between yellow stakes;
- Where a stroke D crosses the margin of the hazard at point X the player may drop their ball anywhere along a line from that point X through point d. Note: In this circumstance it is almost certain that the player’s best option would be to play their third stroke from the teeing ground.
8th hole - when the ball last crosses the margin of the hazard between red stakes;
- Where a stroke E crosses the margin of the hazard at point X the player may drop their ball anywhere along a line from that point X through point e.
- Where a stroke F crosses the margin of the hazard at point X the player may drop their ball anywhere along a line from that point X through point f.
Note: In both of these examples (E and F) the player may also choose the option of dropping a ball within two club-lengths of point X, not nearer the hole, X being the last point where the ball crossed the margin of the lateral water hazard.
There is one last important point on the Rules relating to water hazards. If you know, or are virtually certain, that your ball is inside the margins of a water hazard you may not play a provisional ball (see Rule 27-2).
Videos by Barry Rhodes
In two further videos, Barry explains the above rules.
