So you have gone for the green in two but failed to clear the water? it means you are in a lateral water hazard. What do you do next?

Golf Rules can be very confusing and one in particular is red and yellow stakes round a water hazard.

The Red Stakes show a lateral hazard - find out more about the difference between stakes with our water hazard video.

 

What's the difference between yellow and red stakes?

As for those water hazard options, these will vary according to the colour of the stakes or lines defining the water hazard, which are yellow for a normal water hazard and red for a lateral one (i.e. one that predominantly flanks the side of the hole rather than a hazard that your ball might more typically have to cross en route towards the green).

If your ball is in a water hazard (yellow stakes and/or lines) you may play it as it lies or, under penalty of one stroke:

If your ball is in a lateral water hazard (red stakes and/or lines), in addition to the options for a ball in a water hazard, under penalty of one stroke, you may drop a ball within two club-lengths of, and not nearer the hole than:

* the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the lateral water hazard, or

* a point on the opposite side of the lateral water hazard equidistant to the hole from the point where the ball last crossed the margin.

The diagram below illustrates your options on finding a lateral water hazard.

Lateral hazard diagram

 

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response