Drop from hazard?

chrisd

Major Champion
Joined
Sep 22, 2009
Messages
25,084
Location
Kent
Visit site
I was asked today - player on a par 3 was in left hand bunker, plays out over green into a water ditch running up the other side of the hole which he enters from the green side. He then plays from inside the ditch and lands in the water still in the same ditch and needs to take a drop ...... so, where from?

Cheers for your answers
 
He has a huge number of options, including where he last played from outside the penalty area (dropping in bunker).
Where it lies, all the options he would have had for relief when it first entered the penalty area, where he played from in the penalty area.....

Rule reference is 17.2 - suggest you read it!
 
Cheers Duncan, I told him those options so was pretty correct, the difference was that his 1st shot in the penalty area (water hazard) never left the hazard and returned in to it as in 17.2 a or b so I said that he should take the point where it last crossed the (water) hazard as the reference point for a drop, although it would be 2 shots back
 
Cheers Duncan, I told him those options so was pretty correct, the difference was that his 1st shot in the penalty area (water hazard) never left the hazard and returned in to it as in 17.2 a or b so I said that he should take the point where it last crossed the (water) hazard as the reference point for a drop, although it would be 2 shots back
That's what 17.2 (1) says...not sure what you mean by 'the difference'
 
Cheers Duncan, I told him those options so was pretty correct, the difference was that his 1st shot in the penalty area (water hazard) never left the hazard and returned in to it as in 17.2 a or b so I said that he should take the point where it last crossed the (water) hazard as the reference point for a drop, although it would be 2 shots back
Indeed...that's the classic case of reading The Rules absolutely literally - no 'interpretation'! The 'last crossed the hazard' option deliberately makes no reference to how many strokes have been played within the WH/PA!

I've always been extremely impressed with the way The Rules have been written - and cover a virtually infinite set of varying situations! The clarity is fantastic! If only it was matched by some sort of 'relevance index' as that is, unfortunately, the most disappointing part of them!
 
Last edited:
That's what 17.2 (1) says...not sure what you mean by 'the difference'

In 17.2a the ball played from the penalty area left the area then came back into it which gives a different reference point, in my questioners case the ball never left the penalty area (water) givingbrise to the question of where to drop
 
In 17.2a the ball played from the penalty area left the area then came back into it which gives a different reference point, in my questioners case the ball never left the penalty area (water) givingbrise to the question of where to drop
The rule covers both situations - the reference point is always the last point the original ball crossed the edge of the penalty area it currently lies in (as written in the rule)...so whether the ball leaves the area and returns, or leaves and goes to another, or doesn't leave, you have a reference point for those options
 
The rule covers both situations - the reference point is always the last point the original ball crossed the edge of the penalty area it currently lies in (as written in the rule)...so whether the ball leaves the area and returns, or leaves and goes to another, or doesn't leave, you have a reference point for those options

Yep, got that Duncan - thanks muchly 👍
 
Top