Are the Canyons at Torrey Pines Water Hazards?
A lot of discussion has gone on at http://www.golfclubatlas.com this week about the nature of the canyons at Torrey Pines and whether they should be marked as water hazards. If you think about how these canyons were formed, it was from small streams cutting into the soft cliffs. Looking at the satellite view of the canyon next to the third green it certainly appears that there is or was a stream at the bottom. A water hazard is defined as “… an open water course (whether or not containing water) …”.
It would be very hard for a ball to get all the way down to the stream so it could be argued that they should not be marked as a hazard, I do feel it was justified. There was considerable thought and discussion about this at the USGA prior to the Open. Had they been through the green, the penalty would be very random, some balls would be playable and others would require a player to return to the tee. Once they had decided to make them a hazard, the shaving of the banks became reasonable.
The USGA publishes a book entitled “How to Conduct a Competition” that should be required reading for anyone who is running a tournament. A PDF of it can be found in the Rules of Golf section of the USGA’s website and can also be purchased there. Regarding Water Hazards and the marking of such it says:
Stakes or lines should be so placed that they include in the hazard not only the water, but also rough banks and unkempt growth related directly to it. In general, they should be placed where the ground breaks down to form the depression containing the water. However, if, for example, there is a large bush just outside the natural margin of a lateral water hazard, it is suggested that the bush be included in the hazard. Otherwise, a player whose ball entered the hazard in this area would not have a reasonable spot at which to drop a ball.
Once that decision was made, in looking at some of the hazards, drop zones were logical as there are places around some of the holes (particularly #3) where one player might be able to drop, but another who entered a few feet away might not because there would be no place that wasn’t nearer the hole.
[Update - Tighthead questions the marking of the hazard on 13. If you look at this overhead, you'll see the area in question. The problem is where do you mark the hazard. If you go into the bushes and ice plant, a player would never get relief. First, he'd have to find the ball in the hazard in order to satisfy the standard of "known or virtually certain" and second his drop would then be in the ice plant. He would probably go under stroke and distance at that point. As is noted above, it makes sense to include areas such as this or a large bush or tree to make the question of evidence easier to assert and to make the drop possible. After all, there is still a penalty stroke involved.]
John,
What about the ice plants on #13 where Woods and Westwood found themselves? That didn’t seem to be a canyon, and staking it as a hazard seemed like resort golf.
Arguably, since those canyons do go to the ocean, they are sort of the “depression” leading to a water hazard.
As a native San Diegan, I’ve hit more than my share of balls into those things. Yes, staking them speeds up play, but remember they used to not be staked and it lead to all sorts of hokey things, like guys hitting balls in, then hitting provisionals and not really looking too hard for the original ones. Because, if they found it and it was unplayable, odds were you were heading back to the previous spot. Its a lot easier to flush the second ball as a provisional than the reload afer the walk of shame.
I remember an APL Qualifier at course where the trees were big chunks of trees were staked. The starter didn’t seem real happy about it. But, he just said, well, that’s how’s they are marked so that’s how we’ll play them.
When I went to school in San Diego, I played a lot out there. I know there were times when the canyons weren’t hazards.
There is no requirement that a player looks for his ball so if you stripe the provisional, forget the original. Remember that Phil wanted to do that in the playoff with Frank Likliter a few years ago, but a marshal found his ball and he had to go back to the tee.
The PGA Tour has gone back and forth on the canyons being a hazard. There probably is no right answer to the question.