What is the distinction between a hazard marked with purple and yellow stakes? Consider it this fashion: While you splash down in a yellow-staked hazard, your subsequent shot must be struck from the aspect away from the outlet.
There’s none of that, “I noticed it hit the financial institution on the opposite aspect, up by the inexperienced.” Whether or not it flew in or bounced backwards, it would not matter. So man up and perceive that you must clear the water efficiently, regardless of what number of pictures it takes. If you cannot discover the ball in a yellow-staked hazard, you may have two choices beneath Rule 26.
Underneath a penalty of 1 stroke, you’ll be able to hit the subsequent shot from the place you hit the earlier one; or you’ll be able to drop a ball and hit your subsequent shot from behind the hazard (the aspect away from the outlet), protecting the spot the place it crossed the sting between you and the outlet, with no restrict on how far again (away from the outlet) you’ll be able to go. After all, there is a third possibility. If you could find and hit the ball, go forward and attempt to hit it with out penalty, offered you do not floor your membership earlier than the shot.
In contrast, splashing down in a red-staked hazard, additionally known as a “lateral hazard,” is extra benign as a result of it provides you 5 choices. You get the identical three choices as you get within the yellow-staked hazard above, plus two extra:
Underneath a penalty of 1 stroke, you’ll be able to drop a ball and hit your subsequent shot from inside two membership lengths of the purpose the place the ball final crossed the sting of the red-staked hazard, offered the brand new spot is not any nearer to the outlet than the final crossing level.
Underneath a penalty of 1 stroke, you’ll be able to drop a ball inside two membership lengths of an reverse shore, or margin, of the identical red-staked hazard, offered that time is equidistant from the outlet because the final crossing level.
Typically, based mostly on the contours of the creek or the pond (or no matter) this feature may very well take the difficulty out of your line of play and offer you a transparent take a look at the outlet.
For gamers recognized to beg that their enjoying associate verify their ball touched dry land earlier than drowning itself, the actual distinction comes provided that the stakes are purple.
If they’re purple, upon penalty of 1 stroke, chances are you’ll drop on the greenside of the hazard – offered you could find a spot that’s no nearer to the outlet than the sting of the hazard the place your ball final crossed.
And that dialogue can sometimes get testy.
