rule 26

Question
Dear Eddie,
Let's say there's a large water hazard in front of an elevated green.  On the greenside hazard margin there is some playable rough inside the yellow line.  I hit a shot that clears the hazard completely but it rolls backward into the hazard; I've crossed the margin 3 times I think: 2 clearing it and one rolling back in.  Can I drop into the hazard from the point it rolled in or must I go to the tee side of the hazard and drop there?

Answer
Hi Tim:

Tee side, because the lines are yellow.  If your ball lands on the greenside side of the hazard and the ball spins back or rolls back down the hill into the hazard, you must play your next shot (with the addition of a stroke) from behind the water.  You can either use a ball drop (if there is one) or keeping the point from where it last crossed the margin of the hazard (the first time) go back along that line as far as you want or go back to where you hit it from (for instance the tee).  

If the lines were red (lateral water hazard), you would be able to drop it greenside where it entered the hazard.  But in this case, the lines are yellow, and the rules of a water hazard come into play.

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member