Unmarked Penalty Area With Flooded Lakes

[Bill Catron]

Our course has many lakes on the course with many areas not marked with either paint or stakes to clearly define the boundary of the Penalty area. There are occasions where with a heavy rainfall the normal (natural) heights and edge of the lake is increased temporarily by several feet vertically and horizontally. If a ball lies in the an area where the edge of the lake has be expanded due to the heavy rain temporary:

(a) is that area part of the lake and therefore part of the Penalty area? 

(b) If the Penalty Area is deemed to expand with the increased lake area, what is the ruling if the lake expands out into the parts of the normal fairway area defined by closely mowed areas? 

[pganapathy]

If the expanded part of the lake isn't marked off, it becomes casual water.  Now in the event, the entire lake isn't marked at all, it tends to become judgmental depending on who is in the water 🤫

[fredf]

This from the definition of Penalty Area:

When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water). 

So the edge of a penalty area is not influenced by how much water there is. The lake may expand with heavy rain but the penalty area does not.

Consequently, any water outside the marked edge of a penalty areas, or in the case of no markings any water that is outside the natural boundaries of that penalty area, is temporary water (free relief available).

 

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, fredf said:

This from the definition of Penalty Area:

When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water). 

So the edge of a penalty area is not influenced by how much water there is. The lake may expand with heavy rain but the penalty area does not.

Consequently, any water outside the marked edge of a penalty areas, or in the case of no markings any water that is outside the natural boundaries of that penalty area, is temporary water (free relief available).

This brings up a related discussion.  A player may be virtually certain that the ball is in the water, maybe he saw it roll in, or bounce in, but cannot tell if its within the boundaries of the Penalty Area or not.  The ball is not "lost" in the general area, it is known to be in the water somewhere.  As I understand it, if he's not virtually certain that the ball is in Temporary Water, he must play it as if it is in the Penalty Area. (Interpretation 17.1a/2)

[fredf]

15 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

This brings up a related discussion.  A player may be virtually certain that the ball is in the water, maybe he saw it roll in, or bounce in, but cannot tell if its within the boundaries of the Penalty Area or not.  The ball is not "lost" in the general area, it is known to be in the water somewhere.  As I understand it, if he's not virtually certain that the ball is in Temporary Water, he must play it as if it is in the Penalty Area. (Interpretation 17.1a/2)

Dave

You have raised an interesting side discussion.

I can advise on this issue with confidence as I have the benefit of an R&A ruling on the application of 17.1a/2 - and the official advice is different to the last sentence in your post. The advice states:

1) There are two different thresholds to be considered. First, the 95 % KVC threshold that the ball is in the water (it doesn't matter whether PA or TW) and second the 50-50 'equally likely' issue to determine which area where the ball has come to rest.

2) So if the player has 95 % confidence the ball is in the water, the player must then use best judgement which area the ball has come to rest in.

3) If the player has no information which would make it more likely than not that the ball was in either condition, the player must default to penalty relief under Rule 17. But if the player believes it is more likely that the ball is in one area (ie more than 50 %) then the player must proceed on the basis the ball is in that area. 

Applying this advice, if a player has KVC that the ball is in the water and, for example:

i. has 60 % probability the ball is in the TW, then free relief is available under 16.1;

ii. witnessed the ball landing outside the water and running/bouncing into the water when the edge of the PA is still some distance away, then free relief is available under 16.1;or

iii. witnessed the ball landing in the water and has no basis for deciding which side of the PA edge the ball landed in, then penalty relief must be taken under Rule 17.