June 23, 2015

Question

During my rainy round, I hit my tee shot along the edge of a large pond. I found my ball under about 1 inch of water, but it was still six feet outside the red hazard line. Should I have played the ball as "casual water" or as a lateral hazard?

Answer

Decision 25/2 says that the overflow from a water hazard is casual water, as long as it is outside the margins of the hazard and therefore you would proceed with free relief as set out in Rule 25-1b. If your ball is lost in the water and you don't know if it's in the casual water or inside the hazard, Decision 1-4/7 sets out that the ball is lost in the hazard and you must proceed under the applicable water hazard relief under one penalty stroke.

Happy golfing and remember the Rules Matter.