The canyons at Torrey Pines

If you were watching the tournament this past weekend, you saw the canyons that are around the edges of the course at Torrey Pines.  There was discussion over the weekend about shaving the edges of the greens on some holes (in particular #14) so that a ball would be more likely to run into the canyon.

At various times, the canyons have been marked as lateral water hazards and at others as through the green.  The one to the left of the 17th hole was through the green when Phil Mickelson and Frank Lickliter hit their tee shots into it during a playoff a few years back.  Had it been a lateral water hazard, they could have gone to the point where their balls last entered the hazard and dropped within 2 club lengths with a penalty shot.  Since they were through the green, they both hit provisional balls in case the balls weren’t found.  Lickliter’s ball was quickly found.  Even though Phil didn’t want his ball found, a zealous marshal found it.  Once they were found and identified, the provisionas had to be abandoned.  They both decided the balls were unplayable and their only real option was to go back to the tee.

I have had a short communication with someone who is in the know about this year’s US Open and have been told that the canyons will probably be marked as hazards.  The area beside or behind some greens will be shaved so that balls will roll into the hazard.

If a player hits one back there and elects to proceed under rule 26-1c and drop within two club-lengths the ball will probably roll back into the hazard and have to be re-dropped.  If the second drop also rolls into the hazard, the ball will be placed on the spot it first hit the ground on the second drop.  I was told that the area will be left long enough so that a ball, once placed, will not roll back into the hazard.  This is good, because, if it did and the player hadn’t caused it to happen, he would have to take another penalty and go through the process again.  This happened to Thomas Levet a few years ago at the World Cup, as can be seen here.

There are many ways a course can be marked and in some cases there is no right or wrong way as long as all the implications are considered and dealt with.