On Course....... with Tom Casady - The Flukes of Hazard (s)

Tom Casady, Edmond, OK (June 17, 2010)     Since we are going to be competing at Cherokee Hills this weekend, I thought it might be good to forewarn everyone about a local rule on the scorecard of the golf course: “All native and wooded areas are to be played as lateral hazards”. The following should be kept in mind as we play in our tournament.

The penalty for a breach of a local rule is 2 strokes. This means that everyone must treat all native and wooded areas as lateral hazards. Not to do so is cause for a 2 stroke penalty for each occurrence.

All lateral hazards are to be played as lateral water hazards. That means that Rule 26-1 may be applied to the situation of any ball not found after being hit into the native and wooded areas, under penalty of 1 stroke.

a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the last spot from which the original ball was last played;

b. Drop a ball behind the hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped; or

c. Drop a ball outside the hazard within 2 club lengths of the spot the original ball last crossed the margin of the hazard.

You do not have to apply Rule 26-1. If the ball is found in the hazard, you can apply Rule 13-4: Before making a stroke at a ball in a hazard, do not do the following.

a) Test the conditions of the hazard;

b) Touch the ground or anything in the hazard with your club or hand; or

c) Touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard.

It is a 2 stroke penalty for breach of these rules.

Remember:

a. A ball is in a lateral water hazard when it lies in or any part of it touches the lateral water hazard.

b. The margin of a lateral water hazard extends upward and downwards.

c. Since the local rule defines these areas as lateral hazards, they must be treated as hazards through the green, and through the green is defined as the whole course except the teeing area and the putting area.

d. If your ball does not lie in a natural or wooded area, but the swing of your club may touch the natural or wooded area, or your stance may cause you to stand in the natural or wooded area, you are not subject to the restrictions of your ball being in a lateral hazard.

Enjoy your round at Cherokee Hills and take advantage of this local rule. It may save you strokes, and less strokes gets you nearer to the trophy.


.... On course to save you strokes.

Tom Casady is the Oklahoma Tour Handicap Chairman, a member of the Tournament Committee and is a partner with Scott Chilcutt and Loyd Welch in the operation of the Oklahoma Tour. Tom can be reached @ TC3ofCnC@aol.com.