I have always been confused about Yellow stakes. A couple days ago I was playing in a foursome and there is a hole with a water hazard in front of the green on a par 4. The 2nd shot must clear the water onto the green. The water is staked with Yellow Stakes. One of the players hit the ball onto the green side of the water (on land outside of the staked area) and it rolled back into the hazard. There was debate on where to drop the ball (I thought that he needed to drop on the far side of the water). The course member claimed that since he landed on the green side, he could drop on that side of the water.

Not sure about "no closer to the hole" on this particular drop but is there a general rule about where to drop with a Yellow Staked hazard ?? How does it differ from Red Stakes ?

Thanks for your help !

Think # 15 at Augusta......yellow hazard....

Ball hit green, rolls back in hazard....drop taken behind hazard in fairway


If it were a Red Hazard....ball could be dropped two club lengths from hazard line (next to green - not back in fairway)

hope this helps

Exactly. Great example!

Simply put...

Yellow: You must keep the point of entry between you and the hole and you can go back as far as you want.

Red: Two club lengths from the point at which the ball last crossed the line.

Your playing partner was wrong according to the USGA rules...but there are sometimes local course rules that are sometimes a little different...these are usually marked on the scorecard. i.e...ball drop behind green on #15. But it sounds like he just does not understand the rules.

On the money. Other option would be to paly from original spot. Something many people do wrong is the drop though. They dont understand that the hole, the last place it crossed the hazard and the drop must be in a straight line.

Yellow Stakes = Water hazard, therefore drop along the line of entry and pin

Red Stakes = Lateral Hazard, more options. Can take a drop along line of entry, can take two clublengths no closer to the hole, can move laterally no closer to the hole, reload from original spot and if my memory serves me correctly I believe there is one more option...oh yes - play it as it lies .

That's my understanding of it - could be a little wrong with the lateral...correct me if I'm wrong please!

Brodie

Great answers. Here are the options directly from the book so no one gets confused by the terminology used by other posts.



26-1. Relief for Ball in Water Hazard

...

Direct or Lateral Hazard Options

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 the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or

==============================

Additional Options For Lateral Hazard Only

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.

Thanks everyone for your clarifications ! Great answers and examples :-)

The R&A rulebook (i don't think there are much differences with the USGA rules?)
http://www.randa.org/flash/rules/PDF/WEB_ROG_spreads.pdf

"Line of entry" is not correct. It doesn't matter the line the ball took to enter the hazard, but only where it crossed.

I believe he *meant* "point" of entry (which is correct)

Funny thing. About 12 years ago I played in the DuPont World Amateur in Myrtle Beach. final round and the EXACT same situation happened.

On a Par 5 one of my opponents hit a sand wedge over a yellow staked hazard, hit past the margin of the hazard on the other side and the ball came back into the hazard, he, and another guy in the group said he could drop on the other side no closer to the hole. I told them no, he had to hit it over the hazrd again keeping the point where it last crossed the margin between him and the pin (or, of course, he could hit it again from the same spot) but he could NOT drop on the other side.

I'd had a few words with the other guy in a previous round. nothing serious but he was a Northern "Red-neck" and was pissed I was actually ahead of him after 3 rounds.

The point being he was getting VERY annoyed that I told him they were wrong. The guy that hit the ball wasn't nearly so bothered by it.

Anyway, I told him what he should do.

Play 2 balls, first declaring which ball he wanted to count if it was permitted by the rules. Then record BOTH scores and, after the round (or during if possible) have the Club Pro come out and tell him which was correct.

So he played 2 balls and of course he declared he wanted the ball OVER the hazard to count. He got that ball up and down for a 6. The ball he dropped behind the hazard he hit long and couldn't get it up and down and made 8.

It happened to be the 9th hole. As it came back toward the clubhouse, even though we had to make the turn right away we got word to the Club Pro who came out onto the 10th fairway and asked what happened. He correctly ruled that the guy had to hit from BEHIND the hazard so he took an 8 instead of the 6.

The HE got pissed off at me too. WTF ? After the round they both got hotter and I told him "So what should I have done ? Let you hit the wrong ball and be DQ'd ???"

This is a great example of why it is always a good idea to carry a copy of the rule book with you in your bag. It is a cheap investment to be able to settle an argument relatively amicably. One could always say, "Maybe you are right and I am wrong. Let's look it up."