Hazard
Hazard is the old collective term for the built-in difficulties of the course, above all bunkers and water areas.
The term comes from the classic rulebook and for a long time meant two things at once: the bunker and the water hazard. Both were considered special zones with their own rules of conduct. There you were not allowed to touch the ground before the stroke, remove loose natural objects or ground the club. With the major rule reform of 2019 the term was abolished. The water areas have since been called penalty areas and are marked with red or yellow posts. The bunker remained a distinct area of the course, but many of the old prohibitions have fallen away.
In everyday use the word lives on, because many golfers and older course guides still use it. When a playing partner says "there is a hazard up ahead", he almost always means the pond or stream across the hole. An example: your drive carries 220 meters, the stream lies at 210. You have to decide whether to play over it or lay up short. The water hazard punishes the missing meter with a penalty stroke and the drop behind the hazard.
A typical misconception is equating it with everything difficult. Rough, trees or sloping lies are not hazards in the sense of the rules — they belong to the general area of the course. Only bunkers and penalty areas had and have special rules. Anyone who uses the old term will be understood everywhere, but in a discussion of the rules the new name is what counts. What is allowed at a penalty area you can read about under penalty stroke.
FAQ
Does the term hazard still exist in the rulebook?
No, since the major rule reform of 2019 the term has been abolished. The former water hazards are now called penalty areas and are marked with red or yellow posts. Many golfers and older course guides still use the word, but in a discussion of the rules the new name applies.
What does your playing partner mean when he warns you about a hazard?
Almost always the pond or stream across the hole, rarely a bunker. You then have to decide whether to play over the water or lay up safely short of it. If the shot comes up a few meters short, the water punishes you with a penalty stroke and the drop behind the hazard.
Do the rough or trees count as a hazard?
No, that is a typical misconception. Rough, trees and sloping lies belong to the general area of the course and have no special rules. Only bunkers and today's penalty areas have their own rules of conduct; details on the penalty stroke can be read about under water hazard (penalty area).