Although you probably still refer to it as a water hazard, it’s important to know that the official name change to “penalty area” in 2019 should give you a clue that the options for your next stroke have changed a bit.
The rules are very clear when it comes to instances when the actions of another person breach a rule for you. It doesn’t matter who the person is, the key is whether you are aware of the rules violation before continuing play.
All of this is covered in Rule 8.1 and comes with the general penalty for a violation (loss of hole in match play or a two-shot penalty in strokeplay).
Ready for a challenge? Test your knowledge of the Rules of Golf by “playing” this par 5, where just about every unusual rules situation you can think of happens along the way. See if you can get to the next tee by knowing what to do in each scenario.
Course maintenance crews do make mistakes every now and then, and those mistakes can leave golfers frustrated and guessing what to do about it. Two instances occur on the teeing ground.
The Rules of Golf have things outlined pretty well for circumstances when it’s known or virtually certain that your ball was picked up by someone (or something) else.
With the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup being held in back-to-back weeks, now is a good time to review the Rules of Golf and highlight some of the unique aspects that only apply to matchplay.
It might occur to you that aeration holes should be treated as ground under repair, meaning you can move your ball if it gets stuck in one. Sorry. Not so.
Rule 10.1d notes that, “A player must not make a stroke at a moving ball.” However, there are a few exception also listed. Exception 3 states, “When a ball is moving in temporary water or in water in a penalty area, the player may make a stroke.”
Australian Golf Digest
