Casual water on the golf course is defined as “any temporary accumulation of water on the course that is not in a penalty area and is visible before or after the player takes a stance.”
To determine if your ball has found casual water, players are allowed to take a fair stance and if water appears around your feet simply as a result of taking a normal stance, you have found casual water. As a result, you have a number of options.
First of all, you can play the ball as it lies, but you are entitled to a free drop no closer to the hole. Once you decide you’re going to take a drop, you must take complete relief from the water and drop within a club-length of that spot.
If you find casual water in a bunker, your options are the same, so long as you stay within the confines of the bunker. You are able to play the ball as it lies if you so choose, but you can also opt to take a drop no closer to the hole within the bunker where there is no casual water.
