Rebounding back into a hazard...

Fish

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I'm sure I've read this before but never experienced it to question it where a ball crosses a hazard (water) and rolls back into it and as such you don't have to go back to before the hazard, you can drop to where you crossed it and landed before it rolled back no nearer the hole, I think that's right but feel to put me right.

Anyway, I carried a water hazard today (large pond) and hit a tree some 10 yards after (beyond) the hazard and rebounded back into the water, where can or do I have to drop?
 
Answer is: "it depends"

....on whether there is a spot available to drop on the other side of the hazard which is both
1) within two club-lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin and
2) not nearer the hole than that point.

if such a point doesn't exist (and you can't drop within the hazard even if there is "space" there) then you must drop back on the side you just played from.

Was it the YOTF or not in this instance, Robin?!:whistle:
 
Answer is: "it depends"

....on whether there is a spot available to drop on the other side of the hazard which is both
1) within two club-lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin and
2) not nearer the hole than that point.

if such a point doesn't exist (and you can't drop within the hazard even if there is "space" there) then you must drop back on the side you just played from.

Was it the YOTF or not in this instance, Robin?!:whistle:

Well there was 10 yards from the tree I hit back to the hazard so plenty of area to drop but I was told to go back to the other side of the pond 😡

The YOTF had a day off today, non qualifier so saving myself for when it matters 😜🏌
 
Yes, why Bob?

Red stakes would allow two club lengths from where the ball last crossed the hazard which might keep you hole side of the pond, yellow stakes means back in line with the hole where the ball last crossed the hazard, so behind the pond.

(The fact that you had at one stage crossed over the hazard is irrelevant)
 
I'm sure I've read this before but never experienced it to question it where a ball crosses a hazard (water) and rolls back into it and as such you don't have to go back to before the hazard, you can drop to where you crossed it and landed before it rolled back no nearer the hole, I think that's right but feel to put me right.

Anyway, I carried a water hazard today (large pond) and hit a tree some 10 yards after (beyond) the hazard and rebounded back into the water, where can or do I have to drop?

I'm afraid you were wrong.

As the WH was marked with yellow stakes it is a Water Hazard not a Lateral Water Hazard.

You only have three options.
1) To play it where it lies without a penalty.

2) To go back to where you played the last shot
3) To drop the ball behind (ie before) the WH on a line from the hole, through the point where it last crossed the margin of the WH back as far as you like. In your case this will be on the side of the water that you played the last shot.

Both 2) & 3) incur a 1 stroke penalty.

See Rule 26-1

http://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-decisions.html#!rule-26,26-1
 
Thank you, I knew I'd read it before but hadn't noticed the distinction between the yellow & red stakes.
 
Answer is: "it depends"

....on whether there is a spot available to drop on the other side of the hazard which is both
1) within two club-lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin and
2) not nearer the hole than that point.

if such a point doesn't exist (and you can't drop within the hazard even if there is "space" there) then you must drop back on the side you just played from.

Was it the YOTF or not in this instance, Robin?!:whistle:

This is only true if the hazard is marked with red stakes. As the OP has stated it was yellow and others have stated, he needs to go back to where the ball first crossed the hazard, this is of course assuming there isn't a designated DZ for this hole as that would provide another option as to where to drop.
 
This is only true if the hazard is marked with red stakes. As the OP has stated it was yellow and others have stated, he needs to go back to where the ball first crossed the hazard, this is of course assuming there isn't a designated DZ for this hole as that would provide another option as to where to drop.


NO. Where the ball last crossed themargin of the hazard is the reference point.

Where it first crossed the hazard is irrelevant.
 
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I got taught early on that generally, if it's yellow stakes the next shot needs to be hitting over the water again, and red stakes you can drop 2 club lengths.

The first bit isn't ALWAYS true, but it works as a good reminder when the red mist descends and the brain stops working properly.
 
Just take simple cases. That give you a clue
Red hazards are lateral ie along the line of play. Yellow are across the line of play.

If you need to cross a yellow line when playing towards the hole and it goes in the hazard, you are still required to cross the yellow line.
It is unlikely that you will need to cross a red line when playing towards the hole. If it goes in the hazard you are not required to cross the red line.

Treat them like traffic lights. Yellow (amber) - prepare to take action. Red - do not cross.
 
Just take simple cases. That give you a clue
Red hazards are lateral ie along the line of play. Yellow are across the line of play.

If you need to cross a yellow line when playing towards the hole and it goes in the hazard, you are still required to cross the yellow line.
It is unlikely that you will need to cross a red line when playing towards the hole. If it goes in the hazard you are not required to cross the red line.

Treat them like traffic lights. Yellow (amber) - prepare to take action. Red - do not cross.

I need to check the colour on these stakes, I may have wrongly assumed they were yellow without taking much notice when replying to Bob, the reason I say this now is due to your breakdown above as the pond in question is definitely not across the line of play on the 14th I was playing!

I blocked my drive on our 14th out to the right ending up on the fringe of our 15th green, the pond only now becomes inline with the 14th green but in general the pond is to the right of the 14th fairway making it lateral and rarely, unless you drive offline comes into play, it was my 2nd shot over the pond towards the green that I caught the top of the tree and rebounded in the water, so, I think they must be red stakes and if that becomes the case, I could have dropped between the water hazard and where I struck the tree 10 yards beyond the hazard, couldn't I?

The plot thickens :smirk:
 
Your reference point is always where the ball last crossed the hazard regardless of the colour.
If it was red staked then (amongst other options) you may drop the ball within 2cl of that point not nearer the hole. Whether the line of play crosses the water is irelevant.

However, large ponds/lakes to one side of the fairway often present marking problems as it may not be possible or practicable to drop 'behind' the hazard from certain reference points but may be possible from others. So some may have some stretches of red stakes and some yellows.
 
Just take simple cases. That give you a clue
Red hazards are lateral ie along the line of play. Yellow are across the line of play.

If you need to cross a yellow line when playing towards the hole and it goes in the hazard, you are still required to cross the yellow line.
It is unlikely that you will need to cross a red line when playing towards the hole. If it goes in the hazard you are not required to cross the red line.

Treat them like traffic lights. Yellow (amber) - prepare to take action. Red - do not cross.
I did know the answer but this is a great answer (as always) realy easy to understand . Thanks
 
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