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By Charlie Lanzetta

PGA Rules Committee member since 1984

With all the rain we had this spring and summer, there must have been many wet areas and puddles on the fairways of numerous golf courses. Because of this over-abundance of water, the topic of this article will be “casual water”.

In order to understand this term completely, the definition of this term is most important. Casual water is any temporary accumulation of water on the course which is visible before or after the player takes his or her stance and is not in a water hazard. A ball is in casual water when it lies in or any part of the ball touches the casual water. There is no such term “casual water” if a ball lies out of bounds or a player stands out of bounds in an accumulation of water. A player must also remember that casual water does not exist in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard. The key words of this definition are temporary, before and after.

The word “temporary” explains that the water will disappear in time. The words “before” and “after” tell the player that relief will be granted under Rule 25 if either the lie of ball or the stance of the player is affected by casual water. Think about this statement! Who would be able to draw water in a questionable situation, a lady who weighs about 125 pounds or a gentleman who weighs about 250 pounds? Does this seem fair? The Rules of Golf states “before” or “after” a player takes his or her stance. The gentleman would be entitled to relief if water were visible after his stance was taken. If the lady could not draw casual water, she would not be entitled to relief.

Relief options for Rule 25 are explained on pages 65 & 66 of The Rules of Golf. The options for a ball which lies 1) Through the Green 2) in a bunker or 3) on the putting are similar but not necessary the same.

If you have any questions after reading the relief options, e-mail your questions to:

Clanzettapga@AOL.com.