What happens if your ball is in a bunker with water?

The situation

Heavy rain has flooded the bunker. Your ball is sitting in water inside the sand, or the only place you could take a stance involves standing in a puddle.

The rule

Casual water inside a bunker is an abnormal course condition under Rule 16.1c. You have two options. Free relief (no penalty): find the nearest point of complete relief from the casual water inside the bunker — even if that point is in an unraked or worse area of sand — and drop within one club length. Relief outside the bunker (1 stroke): drop behind the bunker on a line from the hole through the position of your ball, going back as far as you like. This gets you out of the sand entirely but costs a stroke.

Real example

Your ball plugs in the wet sand next to a standing puddle left by rain. The nearest dry spot in the bunker is three feet to the left, still in the sand. Drop within one club length of that spot — free relief, still in the bunker. Or: pay 1 stroke and drop outside the bunker on the back-on-line option to escape entirely.

What to do on the course

• Assess whether the free relief inside the bunker gives you a reasonable lie — sometimes the "dry" spot is worse than the water
• If the entire bunker is flooded, the nearest point of relief inside might be at the very edge of the sand
• The 1-stroke outside-bunker option is often worth it when the bunker is severely flooded
• You can always play from the water if you want — no obligation to take relief

Penalty

No penalty for relief inside the bunker. 1-stroke penalty for relief outside the bunker.