Morris on the rules
Red and yellow penalty areas: the rule and your options
Water is not the only penalty area, and the colour of the stakes changes what you may do. Here are the options in a table, where the reference point is and what each choice costs.
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Your options, by colour
| Option (1 penalty stroke) | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|
| Play the ball as it lies (no penalty) | Yes | Yes |
| Stroke and distance: play again from the previous spot | Yes | Yes |
| Back on the line: drop behind the crossing point, any distance back | Yes | Yes |
| Lateral: within 2 club-lengths of the crossing point, no nearer the hole | No | Yes |
Reading the reference point
Everything is measured from the point where the ball last crossed the edge, not from where it ended up. A ball can come to rest far inside the area, but you still use the crossing point. Once you know the point, the back-on-the-line relief area is one club-length from where the dropped ball first touches the ground, never nearer the hole than the point and never in the same penalty area.
How to drop it properly is covered in unplayable lie and how to drop.
When the ball is somewhere else
A ball you cannot find is only treated as being in the penalty area if it is known or virtually certain that it is; otherwise it is simply lost. That distinction is the whole reason for the provisional ball, covered in lost ball and provisional ball. The wider list of situations is in golf rules explained.
Sources
- The R&A — Rules of Golf, Rule 17: Penalty Areas — 17.1 options and relief areas, red and yellow, 17.2 after playing from a penalty area. Read 18 October 2026.
- The R&A — Rules of Golf, Rule 18: Ball Lost or Out of Bounds — Lost ball and out of bounds. Read 18 October 2026.
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Questions about penalty areas
What is the difference between red and yellow stakes?
The colour decides your relief options. A yellow penalty area gives two: play again from where you hit last, or drop back on the line from the hole through the point where the ball last crossed the edge. A red penalty area adds a third, lateral relief within two club-lengths of that point.
How much does it cost to take relief from a penalty area?
One penalty stroke, whichever of the options you choose. You never have to take relief: you can also play the ball as it lies, with no penalty, under the normal rules of the general area.
When is my ball in a penalty area?
When any part of it touches the ground or anything else inside the edge of the area, or is above the edge or another part of it. A ball lying only partly inside the edge counts as being in the penalty area.
What if I can't find the ball?
If it is known or virtually certain that it is in a penalty area, you can take the same relief without finding it. If it is only lost and you do not know it is in the penalty area, the lost-ball rule applies instead, with stroke and distance. Once you put a replacement ball in play, the first ball is out of play even if it turns up.
Where is the reference point?
The estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area. For back-on-the-line, the drop can be as far back as you like on the line from the hole through that point, with a one club-length relief area; it cannot be nearer the hole than the point and cannot be in the same penalty area. For lateral relief, the relief area is two club-lengths from the point, no nearer the hole.
What do white stakes mean?
White stakes or lines normally mark out of bounds, which is not a penalty area. Rule 18 applies there: one penalty stroke and you play again from the previous spot.
The rules, when you need them
Send him your situation as it is, where the ball lies and what happened, and he tells you the rule and how to play on.
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