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Hazard or OB? How to Score it.

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Imagine your 276 yard drive comes off the tee beautifully and then begins to slice into the woods.  Your ball ends up beyond the “red or white” stakes and you wonder how to score the next shot.  Some golfers think it’s a simple as dropping a ball and hitting their 3rd shot, penalizing themselves from where the ball went into the woods, but, as we’ll soon learn, that ruling depends on the color of the “stakes” marking the area.

The White Stakes:  If your ball flies out of bounds and lands beyond the white stakes, USGA Rule #27 states that you must return and hit another shot from the original spot where you last struck the ball before it went OB (out of bounds).  This is considered one of the most severe penalties in golf since the player looses both a stroke, and distance.

This is why in order to save time, many golfers will hit a provisional ball when they feel that their ball has flown out of bounds.  A provisional ball is a second ball that is played (and must be announced prior to doing so) that will be used only if it is later discovered that the original ball went out of bounds.  This saves the player time by not requiring him or her to return all the way back to the original spot to play another ball.  If the player does manage to find their original ball in-bounds (lucky you!) the player is then allowed to pick up their provisional ball with no penalty applied.  So, if you think your ball flew OB, reach back into your bag, announce you’ll be playing a provisional, and hit again.

Again, this is the most serious penalty in golf, and if you hit your ball OB on your tee shot, you’ll find yourself making your third stroke before you ever leave the tee!

 

The Red Stakes:  The red stakes are used to mark lateral hazards. Because these hazards usually run parallel to the hole, it is often times impractical to take relief by going behind the hazard.  Regardless, lateral hazards fall under the same USGA Rule #26 as water hazards.

According to USGA.org Rule #26:

If a ball is found in a water hazard or if it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in the water hazard (whether the ball lies in water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke:

a. Proceed under the stroke and distance provision of Rule 27-1 by playing 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

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.

The difference here being that unlike the white staked OB area, a player is allowed to drop the ball behind the hazard and does not need to return to the spot from which the ball was originally played, so it is not considered a “stroke and distance” penalty.

Another significant difference is that if the ball skips past the red stakes but is still playable, you are allowed to still play the ball where it lies without penalty, but you cannot ground your club (similar to being in a bunker).  If it skips too far past the red stakes and cannot be found or played, you must then drop the ball according to USGA Rule #26 and incur a stroke penalty.

 

So as your ball sails away, just hope that the area it’s headed towards is marked with red, rather that white stakes.  You’ll still take the penalty (in most cases) but you’ll save a bunch of distance on the hole!


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