The heavy rains that we have experienced recently here in Colorado during this year’s “monsoon flow” have provided some much needed relief to golf courses and water supplies statewide. In some cases however, the amount of rain was so excessive that many golf courses became over saturated, rivers and drainage ditches became flooded, and areas of casual water formed.
What is casual water? According to the Rules of Golf casual water is defined as a temporary accumulation on the golf course which is visible before or after a player takes his stance. The key words to focus on when reviewing this definition are “temporary” and “visible”. “Temporary” implies that the water does not typically reside on the course and will, with Mother Nature’s help (or a superintendent’s pump), soon be gone. “Visible” means that we need to physically see the water without using undue effort (i.e. soft, mushy earth does not in itself constitute casual water).
The Rules of Golf do not contemplate a player having to negotiate such temporary conditions, and it is because of this that Rule 25-1 offers free relief for casual water. Like other abnormal ground conditions (which are also covered under Rule 25) the player will receive free relief for interference from casual water for the lie of the ball, the player’s stance, or the area of intended swing. The lone exception to this is for a ball that is in a water hazard for which there is no free relief.
If it is determined that the player is entitled to casual water relief the procedure is similar to that of taking relief from an immovable obstruction; the player would find the nearest point of relief which is no closer to the hole and drop within one club length of this point. It is always important to point out that if a player is taking relief under Rule 25 (or 24) through the green, the nearest point of relief must also be through the green and the ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course that is not in a hazard or on a putting green. Also, the ball must remain through the green or a re-drop would be required under Rule 20-2C.
Remember, a player is not entitled to relief from casual water if his ball lies in a water hazard. But what if a ball comes to rest in a puddle in a bunker? Because bunkers inherently have low spots which are often the first to form casual water on the course, the Rules actually do allow for free relief in a bunker from casual water. The procedure is similar to when you take relief for casual water through the green: when determining your nearest point of relief it must also be in the bunker, and when you drop your ball it must first strike the bunker (and remain in the bunker or a re-drop would be required under Rule 20-2C).
There are however two notable differences when it comes to taking relief from casual water in a bunker versus taking relief through the green. The first being that when casual water in a bunker is such that it is impossible to take complete relief from the situation (as required through the green), the player must drop the ball at the point in the bunker that offers the “maximum available relief”. This means at a point in the bunker which is no closer to the hole where the water is at its shallowest. The Rules also offer a second, lesser-known option when taking relief from casual water in a bunker – under penalty of one stroke the player may drop his ball outside of the bunker keeping the point where his ball was at rest in the casual water between himself and the hole going back on that line as far as he wishes.
So while excessive rains are providing needed relief to your favorite fairways, remember that the Rules of Golf provide you needed relief in those fairways!
