All ground or water within the margin of a water hazard is part of the water hazard. Stakes and lines defining the markings of the water hazard are in the hazard.

Water Hazards are defined by YELLOW stakes or lines. (Options A, B & C apply)

Lateral Water Hazards are defined by RED stakes and lines, and are deemed by the Committee to be impracticable to drop a ball behind the water hazard (Options A & C only apply)

Ball in water hazard whether it is lost or not. In order to treat the ball as lost in the hazard there must be reasonable evidence that the ball is lodged in it. If there is no such evidence the ball must be treated as LOST other than in the hazard.

Options.

Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was played, under penalty of ONE STROKE.

Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard, directly between the hole and spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped, under the penalty of ONE STROKE.

Drop a ball outside the water hazard within two clubs length of and not nearer the hole than the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard, equidistant from the hole, under the penalty of ONE STROKE.

Except if the ball is lost in a water hazard through the green, when there may be a marked dropping zone.

The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this rule.

If the ball is played under any of the above options and enters the same hazard, than it is counted as a completely separate occurrence and the same rules apply again.

The committee may make a local rule defining lateral water hazards as water hazards and therefore if that applies than the options for Water Hazards apply.

LOST BALL. - GENERAL. LOST BALL. - GENERAL. A ball is lost if it is not found or identified as his by the player within five minutes after the player's side of his or their caddies have begun to search for it * or the player has put another ball into play under the rules, even though he may not have searched for the original ball or the player has played any stroke with a provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place, whereupon the provisional ball becomes THE BALL IN PLAY.

LOST BALL. - OUT OF BOUNDS LOST BALL. - OUT OF BOUNDS A ball is out of bounds is beyond the boundaries of the course or any part of the course so marked by the Committee. Out of bounds is defined by WHITE stakes or lines. All ball is out of bounds when all of it lies out of bounds. A player may stand out of bounds to play a ball in bounds.

Options. Options. The player shall play a ball, under the penalty of ONE STROKE as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played, except if there is reasonable evidence that the original ball has been lost in a Water hazard, than the player shall proceed in accordance with Water Hazard.

PROVISIONAL BALLPROVISIONAL BALL If a ball may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds to save time the player may play another ball provisionally. The player shall inform his opponents or marker that he intends to play a provisional ball, before he goes forward to search for the original. If he fails to do so and plays another ball, such a ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play and the original ball is deemed to be lost and the penalty also applies.

The player may play a provisional ball until he reaches the place where the original ball is likely to be . If he plays a stroke with the provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than it becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance., except if the original ball is lost in a water hazard than those rules apply.

UNPLAYABLE BALL. UNPLAYABLE BALL. The player may declare his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable. If the players deems his ball to be unplayable, and under the penalty of ONE STROKE