Golf Rules for Penalty Areas

If you get confused about how to deal with your golf ball in a penalty area, you're not alone. Here is a simple explanation for how to take relief from a red staked penalty area.

Formerly referred to as water hazards, penalty areas got a new name and relaxed rules in 2019. Most golf courses have only red penalty areas, but some have yellow penalty areas. What's the difference between yellow and red penalty areas? Well, the color of course! ;-)

But the difference is that yellow penalty area are considered "regular penalty areas" which means you have two penalty relief options from them, and red penalty areas are considered lateral penalty areas and you have one more penalty option when your golf ball lies in a red penalty area, and that is the what the name suggests: lateral relief.

As the video shows you, the lateral relief option allows a player to take a drop from within two club lengths away from where their ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area, no closer to the hole. It'x definitely one of the most popular relief options from the red penalty areas, because you can go up and try to find your ball within the penalty area, and decide to take a drop right there where you're looking. You may or may not have found your ball inside the penalty area, and that's not relevant.

Of course, you always have the option to play the ball as it lies, within the penalty area for "free", and it's okay to ground your club in there, and even take a practice swing that brushes the ground, do it might be the most prudent choice for you if you like the lie of the ball. But if you don't find your ball within 3 minutes or if you find it and don't feel comfortable with that lie, stance or the shot, then by all means, select from your three penalty relief options.

00:00 Red Penalty Areas
00:37 Definition of the edge of a red penalty
00:50 Player can play the ball as it lies
1:10 Back on the line relief
2:08 Reference point and relief area
2:19 Stroke and distance relief
2:45 Lateral relief option


2024 update: The back on the line relief option relief area is now a full one club length in all directions, which means, your ball can roll forward from where it touches the ground, up to one club length. Between 2019 and 2023 the relief area was just a half circle.

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