Ball in Water Hazard – How to Proceed Rules Regarding a Ball in Water Hazard ! In the USGA Rule Book under Rule 26, Water Hazards, you will find out how to proceed when your ball is lost or comes to rest in a water hazard. All water hazards on the MountainView and Preserve Golf Courses are lateral water hazards. Hazard Do’s and Don’ts can be found in Rule 13 Ball Played as It Lies. 13-4 Ball in Hazard; Prohibited actions says you cannot: a. Test the condition of the hazard; or b. Touch the ground in the hazard or the water in a water hazard; or c. Touch or move a loose impediment (p10) lying in or touching a hazard. ! Provided there is nothing done to test the condition of a hazard or improve the lie of the ball, you may: a. Touch the ground or water to prevent falling, in removing an obstruction, in measuring or in retrieving, lifting, placing or replacing a ball or placing a club in a hazard. b. During address or in making a your back stroke touch with a club any obstruction grass, bush, tree or other growing thing. c. Remove movable obstructions. ! Local Rule - The Preserve Hole 17 The ground on the left side of the fairway on hole 17, marked by red stakes or lines has been defined as a lateral water hazard. All ground and water beyond the defined margin of the hazard is in the hazard. Ball in Hazard If there is a question whether a ball is lost inside or outside of a water hazard, there must be reasonable evidence that the ball lodged in the hazard or it will be treated as a lost ball. If you find your ball in a water hazard you may play it as it lies or proceed under one of the following relief options under penalty of one stroke. If your ball is lost in a water hazard you may proceed under one of the following relief options under penalty of one stroke: 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 water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit as 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. If you play your ball from within a water hazard and it comes to rest in the same or another water hazard, you have the following options: 1. Proceed under option a. above with a one stroke penalty. If after the drop you elect not to play the ball you may, with reference to this hazard, proceed under b. or c. above adding an additional one stroke penalty; or 2. Proceed under b. or, if applicable, c. above with a one stroke penalty; or 3. Play a ball from the spot from which the last stroke played from outside a water hazard was played with a one stroke penalty. If you play your ball from within the hazard and it is lost or unplayable outside the hazard or is out of bounds you may after taking a one stroke penalty under Rule 27-1 or 28a: 1. Play a ball from the spot in the hazard from which the original ball was played; or 2. Proceed under b. or if applicable c. above (add one stroke penalty); or, 3. Play a ball from the spot from which the last stroke outside the hazard was played (add one stroke penalty). If a ball is dropped under 1. above you are not required to play it. You may proceed under 2. or 3. above. If a ball is declared unplayable outside the hazard you may proceed under Rule 28, Ball Unplayable. ! PROVISIONAL BALL ON HOLES WITH LATERAL HAZARD: If there is doubt whether a ball is in or is lost in the lateral water hazard, a player may play another ball provision- ally under any of the applicable options in Rule 26-1. If the original ball is found outside the water hazard, the player must continue play with it. If the original ball is found in the water hazard, the player may either play the original ball as it lies or continue with the ball played provisionally under Rule 26-1. If the original ball is not found or identified within the five-minute search period, the player must continue with the ball played provi- sionally. Mountain View: Holes # 3, 7, 8, 11, 15, and 18 The Preserve: Holes # 5, 6, 8, 10, and 15 ! If your ball is lying against the cart path you are in the hazard and there is no relief from an immovable obstruction (e.g. cart path) in a lateral water hazard ( Rule 24-2b). !Also if your ball is lying on the cart path and touching the red line, you are in the hazard. 1. If you decide to take the two club length relief option (Rule 26-1c), under penalty of one stroke, you may drop the ball within two club lengths not nearer the hole from where it crossed into the hazard. Since the cart path may be wider than two club lengths, this would require a drop on the cart path. 2. If after dropping your ball it rolls more than 2 club lengths. nearer the hole from where it crossed the hazard, or rolls back into the hazard you are required to re-drop it ( Rule 20-2c ).If this occurs after the re-drop, you must place the ball where it hit the cart path. 3. Since your ball is now on an immovable obstruction, you get 1 club from the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole ( Rule 24-2b). If your ball rolls back onto the cart path, rolls more than two club lengths, or nearer the hole you must re-drop. 4. Your ball is now in play. ! NOTE: Taking relief from the hazard and the cart path in one step is in violation of The Rules of Golf. If you do so, you are subject to the one stroke penalty for taking relief from the lateral water hazard and a two stroke penalty for playing from the wrong place (Rule 20-7). In match play this would be loss of hole..