Rules · Lesson
Penalty Areas: Red and Yellow Choices
Part of our rules programs. Build a program with it
In a penalty area, you can play the ball as it lies with no penalty. You can even ground your club. If you take relief, it costs one stroke. For yellow areas, go back to where you last played, or drop on a line straight back from the hole. For red areas, you also get a third choice. Drop within two club-lengths of where the ball crossed the edge, not closer to the hole. The best choice depends on where it crossed and where the drop leaves you.
Step by step
- Check if it's red or yellow.
- Think about playing it as it lies.
- One stroke: go back to your last spot.
- Or drop back on the line.
- Red: also two club-lengths to the side.
Why it works
A penalty area is part of the course, so you may play the ball from it with no penalty and without special restrictions on grounding your club. Relief costs one stroke, so you only take it when the drop leaves you a better shot than the lie you have. The three relief options give different positions, and the right one depends on where the ball crossed the edge and what the drop leaves you to play.
Common mistakes
- Taking relief without first checking whether the ball can be played as it lies.Look at the lie and your swing path first, because playing it as it lies costs nothing.
- Treating a yellow area as if it has the red side-relief option.Check the stake or line colour first, and use side relief only for red.
- Measuring the two club-lengths from where the ball lies or from the hole side, not from where it crossed the edge.Mark the point where the ball last crossed the edge, measure from there, and drop no closer to the hole.
How you'll know it's working
- You name the colour of the area before you choose anything.
- You can state all the options for that colour and the penalty for each, without looking at the card.
- Your chosen drop spot is within the rules and leaves you a clear next shot.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practise with a yellow area only, so you have just two relief options to compare.
Harder: Work through awkward cases, such as a ball that crossed the edge far from the green, and pick the option that leaves the best next shot.
Common questions
Can I ground my club in a penalty area?
Yes. If you play the ball as it lies in a penalty area, you may ground your club and take practice swings with no penalty.
What is the difference between red and yellow penalty areas?
Both allow you to play the ball as it lies or take relief for one stroke by going back or dropping on the line. Red areas also allow a drop within two club-lengths of where the ball crossed the edge, no closer to the hole.
