Rules Refresher – Ball Played From Red Penalty Area Exits and Re-enters Same Penalty Area

Last month we looked at what your options are should you attempt to play a shot from a red penalty area but fail to get your ball out past the edge of the penalty area. This month, we look at the different options you have if your attempted recovery does make it out, but then happens to re-enter the same penalty area a little further up from where you played the attempted recovery shot at point A.

You can, of course, play the ball as it lies and have another go if it’s playable and you fancy your chances. But if you do decide to take relief under penalty, you still have four options. If you have last month’s Rules Refresher to hand, or the diagram on p108 of the Player’s Edition of the Rule book, you will see that options 1 and 4 remain the same in both scenarios.

You can take stroke-and-distance relief as elsewhere on the course and play your original ball or another ball from a relief area based on where the previous stroke was made at point A. Or you can play the original ball or another ball from where you made your last stroke from outside the penalty area – in this example, a tee shot from point 4, with either option costing you a one-stroke penalty.

Where things differ from last month’s scenario is if you opt to take either back-on-the-line relief (option 2) or lateral relief (option 3, red penalty areas only). Since the ball has exited before re-entering the same penalty area, the reference point X for both these options becomes the new point at which your ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area.

This means that your lateral relief option is now further up, while the back-on-the-line option takes you across to the other side of the penalty area, as far back as you like on a line keeping point X directly between you and the flagstick. Both these options incur a one-stroke penalty.

As with last month’s, if you go for option 1 and drop in a relief area at point A, but then decide not to play it, you may still take back-on-the-line relief or lateral relief in relation to point X or play again

“These may seem like quite rare scenarios, but it’s always good to know your options”

from the teeing area (point 4). This would cost you an additional penalty shot for a total of two penalty strokes.

These may be quite rare scenarios, but it’s always good to know your options depending on whether your recovery shot has stayed within the penalty area or whether it briefly made it out before re-entering.

In stroke play, Fergus’ ball lies on the fringe, but before making his next stroke, he repairs damage on the putting green on his line of play. What is the ruling?

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In stroke play, Jezz uses his foot to flatten down some tufts of grass in the rough behind his ball before making his next stroke. What is the ruling?