For those of you wondering what a submerged bunker is, it isn’t the latest craze in course design just yet.
Instead, it just describes what happens on a course when a bunker is too close to a pond.
This golfer makes a remarkable save from a very wet bunker.
He even gets it within a few feet of the hole.
Whenever you see yellow stakes, this indicates the pond/creek/lake in question is a water hazard. If you hit a shot into a water hazard, you may play the ball as it lies (no penalty), or if the ball is unplayable, choose from these options (with a one-shot penalty):
- Hit another ball from the spot where you just hit (into the water hazard — try to avoid that this time!).
- Take the point where your ball crossed the water hazard and drop another ball (you can go back as far as you want, keeping that point between you and the hole).
There are also lateral water hazards. If you’re playing by the seaside, the beach is often termed a lateral water hazard. Red stakes mean lateral. Your options are either to play the ball as it lies (no penalty, but risky), or choose one of the following (with a one-stroke penalty):
- Drop a ball at the point where the ball last crossed the boundary of the hazard — within two club lengths, no nearer the hole
- Drop a ball as near as possible to the spot on the opposite margin of the water hazard, the same distance from the hole
- Hit another ball from within two club lengths of the spot you just hit from
- Take the point where the ball crossed the water hazard and drop another ball as far back as you want, keeping that point between you and the hole
