Does a golf course have the right to mark a regular water hazard as a lateral hazard instead for faster play?

Our course has multiple water hazards marked incorrectly as lateral hazards simply because it would be impractical (not impossible) and potentially dangerous to require a drop on the other side on the hazard as the rules of golf would provide, as well as the fact that it speeds up play – which has been an issue basically… forever. The major concerns are safety and limiting traffic to said areas, but I’m just curious if we’re doing anything “unacceptable” in the process, by golf standards?

Whether a hazard is a water hazard or a lateral water hazard is not really a local rules matter.

The definition of a lateral water hazard in the Rules of Golf state, in part:

“Lateral Water Hazard
A “lateral water hazard” is a water hazard or that part of a water hazard so situated that it is not possible, or is deemed by the Committee to be impracticable, to drop a ball behind the water hazard in accordance with Rule 26-1b.”

Therefore the committee has the discretion under the rules to deem a hazard to be a lateral hazard only if it believes it is impossible or impractical to drop behind it.

This doesn’t stop committees marking hazards as lateral when they shouldn’t though, but no one is going to “penalise” them for doing it, even though they are acting outside of the intent of the rules.

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