Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Ask for a Ruling with Cory Armstrong

Q | Last week you showed us our options on what to do if we play a ball from inside a water hazard and fail to get it out. What should we do if we hit the ball out of bounds?

- Lucas (Myrtle Beach)

A | Lucas, this can also be a confusing situation for many golfers. Rule 26-2b Ball Played within Water Hazard; Ball Lost or Unplayable Outside Hazard or Out of Bounds gives us our options.

Again, I won't recite the Rule verbatim, but Decision 26-2/1 helps clarify things. Using the diagram, Point A is where the ball originally came to rest in the water hazard. The player then plays the ball to Point X, which is out of bounds.

The player has immediately incurred a penalty stroke under Rule 27-1b Ball Out of Bounds. The player may drop a ball at Point A and play again from there - Rule 26-2b(i).

If the player drops a ball at Point A and subsequently decides not to play it from there, he shall then:

(a) under an additional penalty of one stroke, drop a ball anywhere on dotted Line E-E and play from there, playing 5 Rule 26-2b(ii); or

(b) under an additional penalty of one stroke, play another ball from the tee, playing 5 - Rule 26-2b(iii).

In this situation, there is no risk to dropping at Point A. The one-stroke penalty prescribed by Rule 27-1b cannot be avoided. Since there would be a total penalty of two strokes to get out of the water hazard, the player may as well evaluate Point A and decide if he wants to try the shot again.

For the complete text of Rules 26-1 and 26-2b, visit http://www.USGA.org.