Are You Confused By Red And Yellow Stakes?
For as long as I have been playing golf there has always been confusion over the rulings for red and yellow stakes, or to put it more accurately “Water Hazards” and “Lateral Water Hazards”.
I recently ran across the same confusion again in the email below, so please read on to ensure you are absolutely clear on this particular rule of golf:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“This question came up recently while golfing.
We were on a par 3 with a water hazard between the tee and the green.
One player’s tee shot went into the water hazard.
She proceeded to tee up her second ball and put it on the green.
When playing this course before, we dropped a ball 2 club lengths before the hazard taking a penalty and then finished playing out the hole.
She said the rule had been changed and we can now tee up the second ball instead of dropping the ball near the hazard.
Is this correct or is this a local rule?”
RULES OF GOLF ANSWER:
“If your ball is in a water hazard you can certainly play another ball from the tee under penalty of one stroke, as this is one of the options under Rule 26-1 Relief for Ball in Water Hazard.
The Rule says; “Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played”.
However, unless the water hazard in front of the par-3 in question is a lateral water hazard (red stakes instead of yellow stakes) you cannot drop a ball two club-lengths before the hazard.
The only other relief option when your ball is in a water hazard (yellow stakes), under penalty of one stroke, is to drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped.
If the hazard is a lateral water hazard (red stakes) under penalty of one stroke, you can drop a ball WITHIN two club-lengths of the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard, not nearer the hole.”
This may sound a little complicated, but it is a very important Rule to understand, as sooner or later we all put our balls in water hazards!
Visit here for more Rules of Golf questions.
Disclaimer: Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of this information on the Rules of Golf I am human and have been known to be wrong! Neither I, nor anyone connected with GolfSwingSecretsRevealed.com, shall be held responsible for any losses caused by reliance upon the accuracy or reliability of such information. Readers should refer to the full text of the rules and decisions as published in the official publications of the R&A and the USGA, The Rules of Golf 2008-2011 and Decisions on the Rules of Golf 2008-2009.
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:20 pm
What if the ball carries the water hazard (yellow or red) and then rolls back into the hazard, where do you drop the ball? On the side where the ball first crossed the hazard or on the favorable side where it last crossed the hazard line?
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Hi Gisle,
The option in Rule 26-1b still applies. Of course, in this case it means crossing the water hazard (beyond the hole) to the far side, and dropping a ball anywhere on a line from the hole through the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard (on the green side), with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped. A similar situation occurs when a player’s approach shot over water to the putting green spins back off the green into the water. The player must take his ball back over the water to drop it somewhere on the correct line.
Kind Regards
Andy
April 28th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Hi Andy, if an area of GUR encompasses a part of a water hazard and a ball enters the hazard is it now in GUR or as normal in a hazard? Interesting.
Jim
April 29th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Jim,
I am replying on behalf of Andy Brown and GolfSwingSecretsRevealed.com.
By definition Ground Under Repair (GUR) is any part of the course so marked by order of the Committee. In my opinion, a Committee would be
wrong to define any GUR within an area defined as a water hazard.
Surely, the margin of GUR should stop at the margin of the water hazard because, as you infer in your question, different Rules apply.
Of course, it is permitted to define an area within a water hazard as being an environmentally-sensitive area. In fact Decision 33-8/41 states; “If an appropriate authority prohibits entry into and/or play from an area for environmental reasons, it is the Committee?s responsibility to decide whether an environmentally-sensitive area should be defined as ground under repair, a water hazard or out of bounds.
However, the Committee may not define the area as a water hazard or a lateral water hazard unless it is, by Definition, a water hazard. The Committee should attempt to preserve the character of the hole.”
Regards,
BarryR
For GolfSwingSecretsRevealed.com
Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of this information on the Rules of Golf I am human and have been known to be wrong! Neither I, nor anyone connected with GolfSwingSecretsRevealed.com, shall be held responsible for any loss or damage of any sort caused by reliance upon the accuracy or reliability of such information. Readers should refer to the full text of the rules and decisions as published in the official publications of the R&A (www.randa.org) and the USGA (www.usga.org), The Rules of Golf 2008-2011 and Decisions on the Rules of Golf 2008-2009.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Aloha from Hawaii,
Regarding red and yellow stakes,…
Our club members were discussing the difference between the red and yellow stakes and specifically when there are stakes where water is not present. The issue is when a ball enters the area where there is no water but there are yellow stakes.
Is the player REQUIRED to drop his ball outside the stakes to put it in play or can he hit his shot from within the stakes with the requirement of not grounding his glub? Is this the same with red stakes? I always thought that with yellow stakes, you are REQUIRED to take a mandatory drop outside the stakes to put your ball in play where with red stakes, you can hit your ball from within as long as you don’t ground your club.
Please clarify.
mahalo (thank-you)
Joe
June 26th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Joe,
I am replying on behalf of Andy Brown and GolfSwingSecretsRevealed.com.
Firstly, Yellow stakes denote water hazards and red stakes denote lateral water hazards. There does not have to be water in either. The difference can be found in part of the definition of lateral water hazards;
“A “lateral water hazard” is a water hazard or that part of a water hazard so situated that it is not possible, or is deemed by the Committee to be impracticable, to drop a ball behind the water hazard in accordance with Rule 26-1b. All ground and water within the margin of a lateral water hazard are part of the lateral water hazard.”
Players may always play their ball from within either type of water hazard, but as you say, they must not ground their club while addressing their ball. If it is not practical for a player to play his ball within the margin of a water hazard then under penalty of one stroke he can take the following options, as per Rule 26-1;
“a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or
b. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or
c. 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.”
Regards,
BarryR
For GolfSwingSecretsRevealed.com
June 28th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Hello Andy,
What shall I do if my ball reaches a lateral whater hazard at the side of the green and there is no area between the green and the water hazard?
May I drop on the green?
Karl-Erik