Stakes

[Jefferey13]

Hey new to the forum, I've read it for years. At my course a par 3 is marked like this. Would the red apply to the entire water hazard? It seems to me that from the tee boxes the closest you could ever drop to the hole would be about the "X" right? Because that is where the margin of hazard is correct? I played with someone before and they hit it into the middle of the hazard and took it straight out to the right from where it landed in the hazard, saying "it is a lateral drop, that is what the red stake is for," which I believe is wrong. Hope my questions make sense.

[Rulesman]

The single red stake doesn't make sense.

The reference for relief from a water hazard is the point at which it last crossed the margin. It is not the point at which the ball finished in the water.

As the margin is a line the relief is determined by the colour of the line or the stakes at each end of the line. In this case there is only one red stake and therefore there is no red  line.

Assuming the ball crossed the margin at the bottom of the picture (say to the left of the X) then that is the reference point and the ball must be dropped along a line from the hole, though that point, back as far as you like.

That is true for whenever the ball crosses a yellow margin.

I would normally expect to see two or more red stakes along the right side of the WH indicating a Lateral Water Hazard. In which case if the ball had entered the hazard from the side (an odd bounce say), then the ball could (as an additional option) be dropped within 2 club lengths from the point it crossed not nearer the hole.

It would not be unusual for the whole thing to be a Lateral Water Hazard but it isn't marked that way.

In any case the reference point is still where it crossed the margin not opposite where it finishes.

See http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-26/#26-1

[Jefferey13]

Thanks for the reply. That confirms my thoughts. I think my course has some things marked incorrectly and to be honest I don't think they care very much.

I won't even get started on the amount of GUR that isn't marked that is just atrocious.