Wet sand, when can you drop ?

[Wazmankg]

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but here goes. Playing Friday I hit a 5-wood approach to a long par 4. I thought I hit the green , but discovered I'd come up just short, landed on top of the front lip of a trap and dropped back down into what can only be described as a wet bowl of sand under the lip. It was sitting down in this perfect circle of a bowl that was as deep as my ball and about 3" in diameter. There was no way I could put the club on the ball and the rim of the wet sand bowl was about 2" thick. My partner told our opponents "you should see this lie, it's in a wet bowl of sand". They said I could just drop it to another spot in the trap. But there was no actual standing water in this bowl so I was pretty sure I didn't get a drop. I took a wack at the side of the bowl and managed to pop it onto the lip and took 3 more from there for a double. So what I want to confirm is that there needs to be actual standing water in a trap for free relief and then the relief is only free if you can drop in the trap no closer to the hole. Am I right ? Should I have taken a "free" drop anyway because they said I could ? We were playing them for team skins.

[atticusfinch]

Originally Posted by Wazmankg

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but here goes. Playing Friday I hit a 5-wood approach to a long par 4. I thought I hit the green , but discovered I'd come up just short, landed on top of the front lip of a trap and dropped back down into what can only be described as a wet bowl of sand under the lip. It was sitting down in this perfect circle of a bowl that was as deep as my ball and about 3" in diameter. There was no way I could put the club on the ball and the rim of the wet sand bowl was about 2" thick. My partner told our opponents "you should see this lie, it's in a wet bowl of sand". They said I could just drop it to another spot in the trap. But there was no actual standing water in this bowl so I was pretty sure I didn't get a drop. I took a wack at the side of the bowl and managed to pop it onto the lip and took 3 more from there for a double. So what I want to confirm is that there needs to be actual standing water in a trap for free relief and then the relief is only free if you can drop in the trap no closer to the hole. Am I right ? Should I have taken a "free" drop anyway because they said I could ? We were playing them for team skins.

The issue is not whether there was standing water but whether there was casual water. CW is defined in the rules. If your situatioin met the definition, then you are entitled to relief without penalty, but you must drop in the bunker, within one CL of the nearest point of relief (in the bunker) [with consideration for complete relief if the bunker is full of casual water], or under penalty of a stroke outside the bunker on a line from the hole thru the ball.


You cannot agree with your opponents to waive a rule, but they can over look a breach of the rules if they want. Dangerous territory.

[Fourputt]

From your description, you were correct in playing the ball as it lay. Just one of those bad luck situations you have to deal with and move on.

[wb4tjh]

Last year, I hit into a sand trap in front of a green that was brim full of water from heavy rains the night before. My ball was 6 inches deep, sitting clearly on the sand bottom. But the entire trap was a now a temporary pond about 25 feet across. We figured I was allowed to remove my ball and drop it nearby, but no nearer the hole. I HOPE I did right. There was absolutely NO part of the normally dry bunker that was not filled to the edge of the surrounding grass with water. That's the only time I ever encountered a situation like that.

[atticusfinch]

Originally Posted by wb4tjh

Last year, I hit into a sand trap in front of a green that was brim full of water from heavy rains the night before. My ball was 6 inches deep, sitting clearly on the sand bottom. But the entire trap was a now a temporary pond about 25 feet across. We figured I was allowed to remove my ball and drop it nearby, but no nearer the hole. I HOPE I did right. There was absolutely NO part of the normally dry bunker that was not filled to the edge of the surrounding grass with water. That's the only time I ever encountered a situation like that.

Here's what the decisions say to do:

Q. If a player’s ball lies in a bunker completely covered by casual water, what are his options?

A. The player may play the ball as it lies or:
(1) drop the ball in the bunker without penalty at the nearest point, not nearer the hole, where the depth of the casual water affords maximum available relief from the condition;— Rule 25-1b(ii)(a); or
(2) drop the ball behind the bunker under penalty of one stroke — Rule 25-1b(ii)(b); or
(3) deem the ball unplayable and proceed in accordance with Rule 28.

[Wazmankg]

Originally Posted by atticusfinch

Here's what the decisions say to do:

Q. If a player’s ball lies in a bunker completely covered by casual water, what are his options?

A. The player may play the ball as it lies or:
(1) drop the ball in the bunker without penalty at the nearest point, not nearer the hole, where the depth of the casual water affords maximum available relief from the condition;— Rule 25-1b(ii)(a); or
(2) drop the ball behind the bunker under penalty of one stroke — Rule 25-1b(ii)(b); or
(3) deem the ball unplayable and proceed in accordance with Rule 28.

Nasty rule and I imagine one of the most widely ignored. TBH, I wasn't aware that casual water in traps was not treated as any other casual water until I actually read the rule book a few years ago.

[Bulls9999]

My son played in a tournament a couple of weeks ago in the pouring rain. He had an approach shot that rolled off the green into some wet grassy area between two greenside bunkers. A rules official happened to drive by, watched for a bit, and my son asked if the wetness from the rain around his ball constituted 'casual water' from which he could take relief. It was pouring so hard, that I was getting wet in my spectator cart in combination with an umbrella. The rules fellow showed that if you take a stance and move your foot away and you see water on the ground where your foot was, that constituted 'casual water' and could take relief. I thought it was hilarious because with the pouring rain, I couldn't fathom any open area on the golf course that wouldn't show wetness on the ground as he indicated.

Evidently, my son simply hit the shot from where it originally lay as it was raised ground and any other area nearby was even wetter.