Golf Rule of the Week

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WEEK 1: Penalty Areas (Rule 17)

Purpose of Rule:

• Rule 17 is a specific Rule for penalty areas, which are bodies of water or other areas defined by the Committee where a ball is often lost or unable to be played.  For one penalty stroke, players may use specific relief options to play from outside the penalty area.

There are two types of penalty areas:

• Yellow penalty areas, which are marked with yellow lines or yellow stakes give the player two relief options (Rules 17.1d(1) and (2)).

• Red penalty areas, which are marked with red lines or red stakes give the player three relief options (Rules 17.1d(3)).

Relief for Ball in Penalty Area:

• If a player's ball is in a penalty area, including when it is known or virtually certain to be in a penalty area even though not found, the player has relief options, each for one penalty stroke.

NOTE: If the color of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.

Relief options for Yellow Penalty Areas

1. Stroke and Distance Relief: The player may drop within one-club length of where the previous stroke was made.

2. Back-On-the-Line Relief: The player may drop on the line between where the ball last entered the penalty area and the flagstick behind the penalty area.

Relief options for Red Penalty Areas

1. Stroke and Distance Relief: The player may drop within one-club length of where the previous stroke was made.

2. Back-On-the-Line Relief: The player may drop on the line between where the ball last entered the penalty area and the flagstick behind the penalty area.

3. Lateral Relief: The player may drop within two club-lengths of where the ball last entered the penalty area.

Week 2: Rule 18: Stroke-and-Distance Relief; Ball Lost or Out of Bounds; Provisional Ball

Ball Lost:

• A ball is lost if not found in three minutes after the player begins to search for it.

• If the ball is found in that time but it is uncertain whether it is the player's ball:

  • The player must promptly attempt to identify the ball and is allowed a reasonable time to do so, even if that happens after the three-minute search time has ended

  • This includes a reasonable time to get to the ball if the player is not, where the ball is found

Out of Bounds:

• A ball at rest is out of bounds only when all of it is outside the boundary edge of the course.

• A ball is in bounds when any part of the ball:

  • Lies on or touches the ground or anything else (such as any natural or artificial object) inside the boundary edge, or

  • Is above the boundary edge or any other part of the course

  • A player may stand out of bounds to play a ball on the course.

What to do when your ball is lost or out of bounds?

• When a ball is lost or out of bounds, the player must take a stroke-and-distance relief by adding one penalty stroke and playing the original ball or another ball from where the previous stroke was made.

Provisional Ball:

• A player plays a provisional ball when the player's ball may be out of bounds or lost outside a penalty area. This will save the player time during his or her round.

• If the player is aware that his or her ball is in a penalty area, a provisional ball is not allowed. They must proceed under one of the penalty area relief options.

Procedures for playing a Provisional Ball:

• Before the stroke is made at playing a provisional ball, the player MUST announce his or her intent to play a provisional ball.

• It is not enough for the player only to say that he or she is playing another ball or is playing again.

• The player must use the word "provisional" or otherwise clearly indicate that he or she is playing the ball provisionally under Rule 18.3.