On Course....... with Tom Casady - The Colors are Showing

Tom Casady,  Edmond, OK (July 15, 2010)  Red and yellow colors always show us a meaning: on water, dangerous cargo or sending a request; in a NASCAR event, cease racing or use caution; for nations, China or the Vatican City; and so also in golf, they can only mean one thing – a hazardous situation that needs to be scrutinized, analyzed, mulled over, and picked apart until the best way to lick the problem is solved. So what's all the fuss about?


Well, usually we forget what a red stake or line means; and wonder why they have yellow ones to confuse the issue. And what's so unique about hazards that they have to give them different names, like water and lateral? All this seems so confusing, until you realize why they are different, and how each should be treated by the unlucky golfer who finds himself trapped in a hazard.

A water hazard and a lateral water hazard (a water hazard that is deemed to be impossible, or very impractical, to be able to drop a ball behind) are very similar, except for their positions on the course, what you can do when you go in one, and the color that defines them: yellow for water hazards and red for lateral water hazards.

In, or lost in, a water hazard defined by yellow stakes and/or yellow lines:

1. hit the ball as it lies, following the rules of hitting a ball in a hazard. (see Rule 13-4) (same for both)
2. a ball may be dropped as near as possible to the last spot from which the ball was hit – penalty is stroke and distance. (see Rule 26-1-a & 20-5) (same for both)
3. the ball may be dropped behind the water hazard, on an extension of a line from the flag through the spot where the ball crossed the margin of the hazard – penalty is one stroke. (see Rule 26-1-b) (same for both)

In, or lost in, a lateral water hazard defined by red stakes and/or red lines:

1. hit the ball as it lies, following the rules of hitting a ball in a hazard. (see Rule 13-4) (same for both)
2. a ball may be dropped as near as possible to the last spot from which the ball was hit – penalty is stroke and distance. (see Rule 26-1-a & 20-5) (same for both) 
3. the ball may be dropped behind the water hazard, on an extension of a line from the flag through the spot where the ball crossed the margin of the hazard – penalty is one stroke. (see Rule 26-1-b) (same for both, although option 4 is recommended, because of the above definition of a lateral water hazard
4. the ball may be dropped two club lengths from the point at which the ball crossed the line defining the lateral water hazard, no nearer the hole – penalty is one stroke. (see Rule 26-1-c) (This option is unique to a lateral water hazard)

If a ball is found in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, it can not be declared unplayable under Rule 28. It is dealt with under Rules 13 or 26.

.... On course to save you strokes