Red penalty area
If your ball is in a red penalty area, you can usually play it as it lies without penalty or take relief for one penalty stroke.
By Fore Alarm · Updated October 31, 2026
If your ball is in a red penalty area, you can usually play it as it lies without penalty or take relief for one penalty stroke.
- Choose stroke-and-distance, back-on-the-line, or lateral relief.
- For lateral relief, use where the ball last crossed the edge: drop within two club-lengths, no closer to the hole, outside that penalty area.
For a missing ball, it must be known or virtually certain to be in the penalty area. Use Rule 18 if it is simply lost. No-play zones require relief.
Official R&A / USGA Rules · Rule 17.1 ↗
On-course example
A ball crosses a red edge beside the green, then rolls farther into the water. The last crossing point sets your lateral-relief reference, not the final splash.
Before you act
Identify the area of the course, check the relevant Local Rules, and establish your reference point before lifting or moving a ball. Ask the Committee or a referee when a competition ruling is unclear.
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