Rules Refresher – Ball Played From Red Penalty Area Comes To Rest In Same Penalty Area
Sometimes when you’re in a red penalty area, the ball will look playable, as in this diagram where a drive has ended up at point A. If you make a good recovery, this will allow you to effectively get away scot-free. But what if your next shot doesn’t go to plan and you leave your ball in the same penalty area without it ever crossing the edge at any point?
Using this example, say you’ve elected to play from where your ball has ended up at point A, but the shot has come to rest at point B without ever leaving the penalty area. Of course, you can still play it as it lies if you believe it’s playable, but if you do decide to take relief, the Rules give you four options.
Your first option is to proceed under stroke and distance as you would elsewhere on the course. You’d play your original ball or another ball from a one club-length relief area based on where the previous stroke was made at point A, playing your fourth shot from there.
Alternatively, you could take back-on-the-line relief by dropping a ball back on line (as far back as you wish) from point X in this diagram. It’s important to note that because your ball has not crossed the edge of the penalty area after your last stroke, the reference point for taking relief under this option remains the point where your ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area on your original tee shot.
Similarly, if you opt for lateral relief (red penalty areas only) by dropping a ball within two club-lengths of the point where it last crossed the edge of the penalty area, the reference point would again be based on point X.
Finally, the Rules also give you the option to play the original ball or another ball from the teeing area, as that was where you made your last stroke from outside the penalty area. In all of these scenarios, you would be playing your fourth shot.
However, what happens if, after taking relief in the penalty area, you change your mind? For example, if you go for the first option and drop at point A, but then decide not to play it. The answer is you would still have all of these options, but because you have
“You can still play it as it lies, but if you do decide to take relief, the Rules give you four options”
already taken relief under option one, taking further relief under the other options would cost you an additional penalty shot, meaning you would then be playing your fifth shot.
Next month, we’ll look at how things differ slightly if your ball played from a red penalty area exits, but then re-enters, that same penalty area.
A. Jezz gets a one stroke penalty.
B. Jezz gets the general penalty (two-strokes). C. There is no penalty.