Water hazards, white stakes and lost balls cause more confusion, and more penalty strokes, than almost any other part of golf. Knowing your options can save you shots: sometimes the obvious drop isn't the best one, and sometimes you are taking a penalty you don't need to. Here is a clear guide to penalty areas, out of bounds, lost balls and provisional balls under the modern Rules of Golf.
This guide summarises the main rules. For full details, check the official Rules of Golf and any local rules on the scorecard.
Penalty areas
Penalty areas are usually bodies of water, such as lakes, ponds, streams and ditches, but the course can mark other areas, such as desert, jungle or steep ravines, as penalty areas. They are marked with red or yellow stakes or lines.
Playing the ball as it lies
You may play your ball from a penalty area without penalty, just as from the general area. You may ground your club and remove loose impediments. But be realistic: a ball in water or among rocks is rarely worth playing.
Relief options from a yellow penalty area
For one penalty stroke, you may:
- Stroke and distance: play again from where you played your previous stroke.
- Back-on-the-line relief: drop a ball behind the penalty area, keeping the point where your ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area between the hole and the spot where you drop. You may go back as far as you like on that line.
Relief options from a red penalty area
For one penalty stroke, you have both yellow options, plus:
- Lateral relief: drop within two club-lengths of the point where your ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area, no nearer the hole.
Some courses also allow relief on the opposite side of a red penalty area by local rule.
The key point: where did it last cross the edge?
Relief is measured from where the ball last crossed into the penalty area, not where it finished in the water. Watch carefully, and agree the point with your playing partners.
You must know or be virtually certain
To take penalty-area relief, it must be known or virtually certain that your ball is in the penalty area. If it might be lost elsewhere, for example in long grass nearby, you must treat it as a lost ball.
Out of bounds
Out of bounds is marked by white stakes, lines, walls or fences. A ball is out of bounds when all of it is beyond the boundary.
- Penalty: stroke and distance. Add one penalty stroke and play again from where you hit the previous shot.
- From the tee, you may re-tee your ball.
- You may not play a ball from out of bounds.
Alternative local rule
Some courses use a local rule for casual play that allows golfers to drop near where the ball went out of bounds or was lost, for two penalty strokes, instead of going back. It speeds up play but is not normally used in high-level competitions. Check the scorecard or ask at the club.
Lost balls
- You have three minutes to search for your ball, starting when you or your caddie begin searching.
- If it isn't found within three minutes, it is lost: stroke and distance applies.
- If you find it after the three minutes, it is still lost.
Read pace of play.
Provisional balls
If your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or might be out of bounds, play a provisional ball to save time.
- Announce it clearly: say "I'm playing a provisional ball." Just saying "I'll hit another" is not enough.
- Play it before going forward to search.
- If your original ball is found in bounds within three minutes, you must abandon the provisional and play the original.
- If your original is lost or out of bounds, the provisional becomes your ball in play, with the stroke-and-distance penalty.
- You can't play a provisional for a ball you think is in a penalty area, unless it might also be lost elsewhere.
How to drop
- Drop from knee height, letting the ball fall straight down without throwing or spinning it.
- The ball must land in the relief area and come to rest in it.
- If it rolls out, drop again; if it rolls out a second time, place it where it first touched the ground.
- Measure club-lengths with the longest club in your bag other than your putter.
Unplayable lies
Anywhere except a penalty area, you may declare your ball unplayable for one penalty stroke and choose stroke and distance, back-on-the-line relief or lateral relief within two club-lengths. Read golf trouble shots.
Quick reference
| Situation | Penalty | Options |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow penalty area | 1 stroke | Stroke and distance, back on the line |
| Red penalty area | 1 stroke | Stroke and distance, back on the line, two club-lengths lateral |
| Out of bounds | 1 stroke | Stroke and distance (or the alternative local rule, 2 strokes, if in force) |
| Lost ball | 1 stroke | Stroke and distance (or the alternative local rule, 2 strokes, if in force) |
| Unplayable | 1 stroke | Stroke and distance, back on the line, two club-lengths lateral |
Strategy: choosing the best option
- Compare the options: the lateral drop is not always best. Sometimes going back gives you a better lie or angle.
- Think about your next shot, not just the nearest drop.
- Play to avoid them: aim away from penalty areas and out of bounds. Read golf course management.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between red and yellow stakes?
Both mark penalty areas. Red penalty areas give you an extra option: a lateral drop within two club-lengths.
What is the penalty for out of bounds?
One stroke, and you must replay from where you hit the previous shot, unless the alternative local rule is in force.
How long can I look for my ball?
Three minutes.
Can I ground my club in a penalty area?
Yes. Under the modern rules, you may ground your club and remove loose impediments in a penalty area.
The bottom line
Know your colours: red and yellow for penalty areas, white for out of bounds. Take relief from where the ball last crossed the edge, play a provisional when a ball might be lost or out of bounds, search for no more than three minutes and drop from knee height. Choose the relief option that gives the best next shot. For more on the rules, read golf rules every golfer should know.