Rules Refresher – Defined Areas Of The Course
The major Rules revisions in January 2019 saw several changes to the terminology regarding the five specific defined areas of the golf course, with some renamed and others getting their own separate Rules changes (e.g. bunkers). The Rule numbers given below go into more depth about what is and isn’t allowed in the various areas of the course.
The general area (formerly ‘ through the green’) covers the entire course except for the other four areas in this diagram below. Primarily, it covers most of the golf course including all fairways and rough, as well as, for example, all teeing locations other than the teeing area of the hole being played and all wrong greens.
1. The Teeing Area (Rules 6.1 and 6.2)
The teeing area is a rectangle two club-lengths in depth, with the front edge defined by the line between the forward point of the two tee-markers and the sides defined by the line back from their outside point. A ball is in the teeing area when any part of it touches or is above any part of the teeing area (e.g. on a tee). You may stand outside the teeing area to play a ball inside it and may tee the ball up whenever it is in the teeing area of the hole being played (even if your partner has played an air-shot in foursomes).
2. Bunkers (Rule 12)
A ball is in a bunker when any part of it touches the sand on the ground inside the edge of the bunker, or is inside the edge of the bunker and rests on a loose impediment, movable obstruction, abnormal course condition or integral object touching the sand.
Before playing your shot from a bunker, you may lean on a club, or remove loose impediments and movable obstructions, but you will still be penalised if you touch the sand on a practice swing, ground your club near the ball or touch the ground or sand on your backswing.
3. Penalty Areas (Rule 17)
Penalty areas are any bodies of water on the course, but may also now include other parts of the course that the committee wishes to define as a penalty area. Penalty areas marked with yellow lines or stakes give you two relief options under Rule 17.1d; those marked with red lines or stakes give you those options plus an extra lateral relief option.
“Before playing from a bunker you may remove loose impediments and movable obstructions”
4. Putting Green (Rule 13)
The putting green is the area on the hole you are playing that is specifically prepared for putting, or has been defined as the putting green (e.g. when a temporary green is used). Your ball is deemed on the putting green when any part of it touches the putting green. You are permitted to repair a variety of damage on the putting green (e.g. spike marks, ball marks, etc) and can now also putt with the flagstick in the hole.
In stroke play, Jezz drops in his relief area from too high. He realises his error and drops again correctly from knee height before playing. What is the ruling?