Diff between yellow & red stakes (water hazard)

[vkurup]

What is the difference between water hazards fenced by Yellow & Red stakes. What are your options if you plonk one into the water for either of these. Playing an away game tomorrow, and it has a Yellow drain down the middle. It is in my driver range, so very likely to stick it in, unless I choose a different club.

 

[stevie_r]

The difference is in the options you have following going in them.
For a lateral water hazard (red stakes) it can frequently be impossible to drop a ball and play your next shot over the hazard (ie drop the ball in line with where it last crossed the boundary of the hazard and the flag) as you would with a yellow staked water hazard. You therefore have the option of dropping within two club lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard. Probably not brilliantly explained but this does a better job:

http://www.randa.org/Playing-Golf/Q...-Situations-and-Procedures/Water-Hazards.aspx

 

[duncan mackie]

you have 2 additional options over those available when crossing 'yellow' markers, for the reason Stevie's outlined.

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.

 

[vkurup]

Not to open old wounds.. but if I go thru the R&A link mentioned above.. it says, I can go back as much as I like.

In that case, why was there such a hue & cry over Tiger going back an extra 2 yards after putting his shot into the water??

 

[SGC001]

Not to open old wounds.. but if I go thru the R&A link mentioned above.. it says, I can go back as much as I like.

In that case, why was there such a hue & cry over Tiger going back an extra 2 yards after putting his shot into the water??

Tiger didn't elect to go back in line with where the ball last crossed the hazard, he elected to re-play his shot from where it was last played from.

 

[stevie_r]

Not to open old wounds.. but if I go thru the R&A link mentioned above.. it says, I can go back as much as I like.

In that case, why was there such a hue & cry over Tiger going back an extra 2 yards after putting his shot into the water??

You have a number of options available - what you can't do is mix bits of the options to give you your preferred ideal shot - which is what tiger did.

You can play a ball from as near as possible to the spot where you played your last shot.

or

You can play a ball as far back as you want ensuring there is a straight line between the ball - the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard - and the pin.

Don't forget that Tigers shot hit the pin and entered the hazard from the 'wrong side' so to speak and way to the left of his original shot line, when he dropped where he did there was no alignment as explained above.

 

[palindromicbob]

I always find these videos handy with regard to water hazards. Nice clear explanation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yo0Iq1JvXA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uByDf9wq-w

The one option not covered is when a drop zone exists. This opens up a four option where available. They aren't mandatory.