Is a water hazard ever casual water?

[SwingSlow]

So playing 9 in the drizzle today and noticed that the lakes were a bit bigger than usual due to recent inclement weather. On one the yellow posts marking the normal edge of the hazard were a good 2 yards in from where the water had reached, so:

- if the ball goes into the water between the yellow posts and the new "shoreline", is it in the hazard with a penalty drop or in casual water with free relief?

Idle curiosity on my part as we all stayed on dryish land.

 

[palindromicbob]

Under the defintions, a water hazard is any sea, lake, pond, river, surface drainage ditch or other open water course and anything of a similar nature around the course. The margin is purely used to define the ground that falls within the water hazard i.e: you may not actually be in water but still within a water hazard.

The comittee have failed to mark the margin accurately but the water is still counted as a hazard. Decision 26/2

 

[williamalex1]

if your outwith the red or yellow markers and you are in surface water .then it's casual water and get a free drop nearest point of relief then 1 club length not nearer the hole. no doubt there will be other views

 

[MashieNiblick]

Good question given the recent conditions.

The answer I think is given by Decision 25/2 Overflow from Water Hazard

"Q. If a pond (water hazard) has overflowed, is the overflow casual water?"

"A. Yes. Any overflow of water from a water hazard which is outside the margin of the hazard is casual water."

Decision 26/2 is I think intended to apply if the markers were clearly placed wrongly so that a part of the hazard which was normally under water or which should clearly be part of the hazard was not within the margin of the hazard.

 

[Imurg]

We have this quite a lot on our 8th hole.
Par 3, pond front left.
When it's wet the pond regularly overfills and reaches further than the line of reeds that is the boundary of the hazard - there are stakes too.
We looked it up a while back and found the Casual Water ruling most helpful!

 

[CMAC]

isnt it common sense though, the hazard has stakes defining the hazard boundaries (like you have in OOB etc) so anything outwith these boundary stakes is NOT in the hazard so the water can only be designated casual water, by definition casual water is temporary water and overflows are usually temporary.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Maybe if you put a small umbrella in it and possibly an olive too

But I think the above are right, its casual water... makes sense as its not usually/supposed to be there