Red Stakes: You’ve Got 5 Options!
RED STAKES AND RED LINES
Red stakes and lines indicate a lateral water hazard. A lateral water hazard is differentiated from a water hazard as its name implies – because it is lateral. It runs alongside the line of play, rather than across it.
YOU HAVE 5 OPTIONS FOR RED STAKES:
Option 1: Play it as it lies, no penalty.
Option 2: You may drop within two club lengths of the point of entry, but no nearer the hole (a 1-stroke penalty).
Option 3: Drop behind the hazard on a line formed by the hole and the point where the ball entered the hazard (a 1-stroke penalty).
Option 4: A player can go to the opposite side of the hazard and drop at a spot on the hazard’s margin that is equidistant from the hole (a 1-stroke penalty).
Option 5: You may return to the tee or the last spot from which you played the ball. So, in the hazard on 1, out in 2, hitting 3.