Drop question...

[TheGeekGolfer]

Question on where to drop and how to count the strokes.

Situation: Drove into a lateral hazard on the left-hand side of the 18th hole (really messed up 4 of the last 5 holes in an otherwise solid round, but that's another post).  I had a decent lie and the ball was just inside the hazard line and not in the lake.  I tried to punch it up the fairway through a gap in between 2 trees.  I slipped/hit a crappy shot and it hit the tree to my right and ricocheted into the lake.  The tree is inside the hazard line, so the ball never technically left the hazard.

Question: Where do I drop my next ball?  What are my options for dropping?  Can I drop inside the hazard and replay my next shot where I played the last one from?  Do I drop outside the hazard, 2 club-lengths from where it hit the tree?  Could I drop on other side of lateral hazard?  I dropped outside the hazard and proceeded to make double-bogey (7 on a par-5) (if I scored it right?).

How I scored it: Hit into hazard (1), hit tree (2), dropped outside hazard (3), hit good layup shot (4), hit shot just off green (5), chipped on (6), one-putt (7).

[mdl]

Good question!  Is it possible you should have dropped outside hazard back where your original shot crossed the hazard line, rather than near the tree you banked shot 2 off of?

[TheGeekGolfer]

Originally Posted by mdl

Good question!  Is it possible you should have dropped outside hazard back where your original shot crossed the hazard line, rather than near the tree you banked shot 2 off of?

Actually, I forgot to specify exactly where I dropped.  I did drop 2 club-lengths from where it originally crossed the hazard line.

[turtleback]

26-2. Ball Played Within Water Hazard

a. Ball Comes to Rest in Same or Another Water Hazard

If a ball played from within a water hazard comes to rest in the same or another water hazard after the stroke , the player may:

(i) proceed under Rule 26-1 a. If, after dropping in the hazard, the player elects not to play the dropped ball, he may:

(a) proceed under Rule 26-1 b, or if applicable Rule 26-1 c, adding the additional penalty of one stroke prescribed by the Rule and using as the reference point the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of this hazard before it came to rest in this hazard ; or

(b) add an additional penalty of one stroke and play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which
the last stroke from outside a water hazard was made (see Rule 20-5 ); or

(ii) proceed under Rule 26-1b , or if applicable Rule 26-1 c; or

(iii) under penalty of one stroke, play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the last stroke from outside a water hazard was made (see Rule 20-5 ).

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Based on this it sounds like you were closest to 26-2(i)(a), except you omitted one penalty stroke.

How I scored it:  Hit into hazard (1), hit tree (2), dropped outside hazard (3), hit good layup shot (4), hit shot just off green (5), chipped on (6), one-putt (7).

Between (2) and (3) should have been dropped inside hazard.  So it should have gone:

Hit into hazard (1), hit tree (2), dropped inside hazard (3), dropped outside hazard (4), hit good layup shot (5), hit shot just off green (6), chipped on (7), one-putt (8).

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by turtleback

26-2. Ball Played Within Water Hazard

a. Ball Comes to Rest in Same or Another Water Hazard

If a ball played from within a water hazard comes to rest in the same or another water hazard after the stroke, the player may:

(i) proceed under Rule 26-1a. If, after dropping in the hazard, the player elects not to play the dropped ball, he may:

(a) proceed under Rule 26-1b, or if applicable Rule 26-1c, adding the additional penalty of one stroke prescribed by the Rule and using as the reference point the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of this hazard before it came to rest in this hazard; or

(b)add an additional penalty of one stroke and play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from whichthe last stroke from outside a water hazard was made (see Rule 20-5); or

(ii) proceed under Rule 26-1b, or if applicable Rule 26-1c; or

(iii)under penalty of one stroke, play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the last stroke from outside a water hazard was made (see Rule 20-5).

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Based on this it sounds like you were closest to 26-2(i)(a), except you omitted one penalty stroke.

Between (2) and (3) should have been dropped inside hazard.  So it should have gone:

Hit into hazard (1), hit tree (2), dropped inside hazard (3), dropped outside hazard (4), hit good layup shot (5), hit shot just off green (6), chipped on (7), one-putt (8).

I don't think that's correct.  You're focusing on option i, which allows for a drop as near as possible from where the last shot was played. If the player doesn't want to play that drop, he can then drop outside the hazard. Total penalty strokes would be 2, one for each drop.

However as I read it the OP played correctly under option ii, which allows for directly proceeding under 26-1c, which allows the drop outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the hazard, with the addition of the one penalty stroke under that rule.

[Fourputt]

Looks to me like he proceeded correctly.  He counted the penalty stroke (that was his drop - stroke 3).