Consider the 13th hole at the Regency Hyatt Coolum. With the lateral water hazard starting 50m in front of the tee and running almost the length of the fairway, the line from the tee is pretty much straight over the water. The left side of the hazard is tree lined and any ball that starts slightly left tends to catch the trees and find its way into the water. Taking a two club length drop into the trees is of no real help and so most players choose to drop back behind the hazard. This can make their third shot more difficult in that the ground conditions can provide an average lie and the water to the right of the green can also come into play.
The Rules allow the player, under the fifth option, to work out the point on the opposite margin (fairway side) that is equidistant from the hole and drop a ball within two club lengths. Not only is the lie likely to be better over on the fairway side but the line to the hole is also a touch friendlier.
So, the recommendation in situations like this is to check all of your options before putting a ball into play. The opposite margin option may help eliminate obstacles between you and the hole such as trees or bushes or may simply give you a better line to the pin.
Rules Officials are out there to assist you where possible and so if you are in any doubt as to how to proceed under the Rules ask us to talk you through your options.
Hitting your ball into a water hazard may not actually be as costly to your final score as the decision that you subsequently make on how to deal with the situation.
Tour Officials are often left scratching their heads trying to understand why a player chose a specific option when taking relief from a water hazard, or more specifically a lateral water hazard. The Rules don’t allow us to recommend to a player what we believe may be their best option as this would be classed as providing them with advice. We can however talk them through all of the options available to them and, in doing this the player is often pleasantly surprised by where the Rules allow them to take a drop.
At other times the player may be aware of where they are entitled to drop but may not have a complete understanding of what they can and can’t do as a result of where their ball comes to rest.
In terms of relief options, water hazards (yellow stakes and paint lines) are relatively straight forward as you only have three alternatives to choose from.
If adopting the third of these options, be mindful of the fact that you can drop the ball as far behind the hazard as you like, as long as you remain on an extension of the line explained above. Providing the dropped ball does not roll more than two club lengths or come to rest at a point closer to the hole than the point where it last crossed the margin of the hazard, it is in play. The fact that it has finished nearer the hole than the point where it first struck the ground does not mean that you have to re-drop it.
Should the dropped ball roll back towards the hazard line to the degree that when you take your stance your foot is touching the line or becomes submerged in the water, this does not entitle you to a re-drop. Unlike immovable obstructions or ground under repair, the Rules applying to water hazards (Rule 26) do not require you to take full relief for stance as well as lie. As long as the ball remains outside the margin of the hazard it is in play and the player must take their stance accordingly.
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