Water Hazard

Dear all, apologies you might see this in another category, but here goes, I was playing Ifield on Sat, 17th, one point behind, I hit a bad shot towards a little pond, when we got there, the ball had landed very close to the edge, cracked the ice, and rolled across where it ended up on the fringe the other side, it was marked water hazard, one of the players said I had to take a drop from there, which meant a lob over some tall bushes to the green, which I did (5) or could I have taken a drop from the edge it landed which would have given me a far easier chip and run where I stood a better chance of getting par or at worst a (4)

Graham

was it yellow or red stakes.?

You have a few options.

1, play the ball from where it lies.no penalty. red or yellow stakes.

2, take a penalty drop 2 club lengths from where the ball lies, but no closer to the hole. red stakes.

3, play the ball from beyond the last point it entered the water hazard going back as far as you like keeping that point between you and the flag. one shot penalty. red or yellow stakes.

4, take a drop at the place you took your last shot from , one shot penalty. red or yellow stakes.

Thanks Adrian, it was (red) couldn't play from where it lay. otherwise I would have had to put my foot on the ice, I took the second option, which on reflection I should have taken option three where I could have done a chip and run, 4th option was to walk back to the T, so the third was best, as you probably know when things like this happen and there are players behind, you try and move on as quickly as poss, I think the thing that confused me was the ice scenerio, if there was no ice I would have done the option three.

Thanks

Good golfing

2, take a penalty drop 2 club lengths from where the ball lies, but no closer to the hole. red stakes.

I'm afraid that one is wrong.

As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a 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

It's a minor point but Case 3 should also read 'behind' rather than 'beyond' ie on the side further than the hole regardless of which side it crossed.. 

Thank's DH, but what I am hearing, and what I have just found on oobgolf, there are indeed 4 options and the one that would have suited me best was to take a drop from point of entry, I am sure this is correct but would stand corrected.

Graham

If you take a drop from point of entry (I assume you mean where it last crossed the margin), the you have to keep it on a line from the hole through that point.

You can read the full words here

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-26/

See clause (b)

.

Hi DH, yes correct, then by doing that it would have given me a better shot, live and learn, that's what's so good and bad about the game.

Graham