Rules & Etiquette

Water Hazards

Handle casual and hazard water by the rules.

Why it matters

Water causes more rules confusion than anything else, because two completely different rules can apply and they have opposite consequences. Whether that pond is marked out of bounds or is simply water you can stand in decides whether you take a penalty or get free relief.

How to do it

First establish which it is: water marked out of bounds, or ordinary water that is in bounds. The course signage or the event decides this, not the water.
If it is marked OB, it is an ordinary OB penalty: one throw, and play from within one metre of where it last crossed.
If the water is in bounds and your disc is in it and reachable, it is simply your lie. You may play it.
Casual water — temporary water from rain, not a permanent feature — gives free relief: you may move back along the line of play, no closer to the target, to the nearest spot without the condition (PDGA 803.06).
Casual relief is free; OB relief is not. Confusing the two is the mistake.

Common mistakes

Assuming all water is out of bounds.Only if the course or the event says so. Plenty of water is in bounds and simply playable.

Taking free relief from water that is marked OB.That is one penalty throw and a specific lie. Free relief is for CASUAL water only.

Taking casual relief closer to the target.Relief is never closer to the target. That constraint is what makes it free.

Wading in to retrieve a disc that is out of bounds anyway.If it is OB you are taking the penalty regardless. Decide whether the disc is worth the wet feet separately.

Key points

A disc in-bounds in water is playable.
You may get relief from casual water (no closer to target).
Know if water is marked OB on the hole.

The drill

Drill · Read the sign — 1 round identifying the status of every water feature before teeing. On a course with water, check each hole’s signage before you tee and say which water is OB and which is not. It takes seconds and it is the single piece of information that decides what a wet throw costs you.

Watch: PDGA Disc Golf Rules Q & A | Disc Lost in Casual Water — DynamicDiscs