I played in the club championship at The Crossings at Carlsbad, and we had a bit of a rules snafu on our first hole (#11). Three of us hit balls that could have been in the hazard. I checked the scorecard, and it said that there was a drop zone on #11. I've played that course a bunch of times, and I've never noticed a drop zone on #11. But since the scorecard listed it, none of us played a provisional.
When we got to the fairway, we couldn't find the drop zone. Two of us had gone through the fairway, and then into the hazard, so dropping within two club lengths of the hazard is an option. The scorecard says "Drop areas are available." That tells me that they are not mandatory.
The third ball in the hazard didn't reach the fairway. About that time, a marshal came by, and took on the role of rules official. He said that the third player had to go back to the tee. His third shot also didn't clear the hazard, so by the time he hit the fairway, he was laying five.
I think he got screwed by the official. Since the scorecard clearly indicated that there was a drop zone available, I would have been fine with him playing his third shot from the beginning of the fairway, since we couldn't find any marked drop zone. But that's not how it unfolded.
On a different hole (#16), the drop zone was the forward tee, but in that case, it was clearly indicated by the signs.
Also, they allowed us to use the GPS on the carts. I don't think those are legal for tournament play. In addition to distance, you can use it to calculate your next shot, ie if I hit a 3 wood 200 yards off the tee, then the GPS tells me that I'll have 135 to the green. I don't believe that is legal for tournament play.
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