Purpose. There are many ways in which a Committee can define penalty areas on the course and so it is not necessary or possible to provide a complete list of Model Local Rules that can be used for this purpose.
The key is to be clear and specific when defining penalty areas in the Local Rules.
No specific Model Local Rules are included in this section given the variety of options available, but some examples are provided below:
While it is a good practice to mark the edges of penalty areas, there are times when the edge of the penalty area can be defined by language on the scorecard or Local Rules sheet.This should only be done when there will be little confusion about where the edge of the penalty area begins, and it can be done in a consistent manner throughout the course. Some examples are:
See Sections 2C and 5B(2) for more information on defining penalty areas.
Purpose. Rule 17.1 gives a player the option to take lateral relief or back-on-the-line relief based on where his or her ball last crossed the edge of a red penalty area. But in some cases (for example, due to the location of the red penalty area right next to a course boundary), those options may leave the player with no reasonable option other than to take stroke-and-distance relief.
A Committee can introduce a Local Rule to allow lateral relief on the opposite side of the red penalty area as an extra relief option under Rule 17.1d.
When considering a Local Rule to allow additional relief:
[Clarification: Point on Opposite Edge Must Not Cross Another Area of the Course
With the Model Local Rule in use, if the straight line from the edge where the ball last crossed into the penalty area to the other edge that is an equal distance from the hole crosses outside the penalty area, the player is not allowed to use that opposite point. (Clarification added 12/2018) ]
Model Local Rule B-2.1
"When a player"s ball is in a penalty area, including when it is known or virtually certain to be in a penalty area even though not found, the player may take relief using one of the options under Rule 17.1d.
Or, when the ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area on [specify hole number and location], as an extra relief option adding one penalty stroke, the player may drop the original ball or another ball on the opposite side of the penalty area:
Penalty for Playing Ball from a Wrong Place in Breach of Local Rule: General Penalty Under Rule 14.7a."
Model Local Rule B-2.2
Model Local Rule B-2.1 applies but with the following amendment to the first paragraph:
"This Local Rule applies when a player's ball is found in or it is known or virtually certain to have come to rest in any red penalty area that coincides with a boundary of the course and the point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area is on the boundary side of that penalty area."
Purpose. Under Rule 18.3, a player is not allowed to play a ball provisionally if it is known or virtually certain that his or her ball is in a penalty area.
But in unusual cases, the size, shape or location of a penalty area may be such that:
For such situations, to save time a Committee may choose to modify Rule 18.3:
Model Local Rule B-3
"If a player does not know whether his or her ball is in the penalty area [identify location], the player may play a provisional ball under Rule 18.3, which is modified in this way:
In playing the provisional ball, the player may use the stroke-and-distance relief option (see Rule 17.1d(1), the back-on-the-line relief option (see Rule 17.1d(2)) or, if it is a red penalty area, the lateral relief option (see Rule 17.1d(3)). If a dropping zone (see Model Local Rule E-1) is available for this penalty area, the player may also use that relief option.
Once the player has played a provisional ball under this Rule, he or she may not use any further options under Rule 17.1 in relation to the original ball.
In deciding when that provisional ball becomes the player's ball in play or if it must or may be abandoned, Rule 18.3c(2) and 18.3c(3) apply except that:
Penalty for Breach of Local Rule: General Penalty."
Purpose. If an open water course does not usually contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee can define that area as part of the general area.
The Committee can also choose to mark such an open water course as a penalty area during times of the year when it contains water, or leave it as part of the general area, in which case any water that collects would be treated as temporary water. However, areas that would normally contain water should be marked as penalty areas throughout the year.
See Model Local Rule F-20 for when the open water course may be made a part of an abnormal course condition.
Model Local Rule B-4.1
"The [describe specific water course, e.g. ditch] at the [detail where it is located] is to be treated as part of the general area and not as a penalty area."
Model Local Rule B-4.2
"All [describe specific types of water courses, such as concrete drainage ditches] are to be treated as part of the general area and not as penalty areas."
Purpose. There may be particular holes where part of the edge of a red penalty area is so close to a bunker that a player taking lateral relief under Rule 17.1d(3) will need to drop a ball in the bunker.
In such a case, a Committee can choose to create an extra relief option allowing the player, for one penalty stroke, to take relief in a dropping zone positioned on the fairway side of the bunker.
Model Local Rule B-5
"This Local Rule allows the use of a dropping zone as an extra relief option when:
In that case, the player may:
Penalty for Playing Ball from a Wrong Place in Breach of Local Rule: General Penalty Under Rule 14.7a."
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
All areas outside the boundary edge of the course as defined by the Committee. All areas inside that edge are in bounds.
The boundary edge of the course extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The boundary edge should be defined by boundary objects or lines:
Boundary stakes or lines should be white.
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
The standard for deciding what happened to a player’s ball – for example, whether the ball came to rest in a penalty area, whether it moved or what caused it to move.
Known or virtually certain means more than just possible or probable. It means that either:
"All reasonably available information" includes all information the player knows and all other information he or she can get with reasonable effort and without unreasonable delay.
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/1 - Applying "Known or Virtually Certain" Standard When Ball Moves
When it is not "known" what caused the ball to move, all reasonably available information must be considered and the evidence must be evaluated to determine if it is "virtually certain" that the player, opponent or outside influence caused the ball to move.
Depending on the circumstances, reasonably available information may include, but is not limited to:
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/2 - Virtual Certainty Is Irrelevant if It Comes to Light After Three-Minute Search Expires
Determining whether there is knowledge or virtual certainty must be based on evidence known to the player at the time the three-minute search time expires.
Examples of when the player's later findings are irrelevant include when:
The player must take stroke-and-distance relief for a lost ball (Rule 18.2b) since the movement by the outside influence only became known after the search time expired.
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/3 - Player Unaware Ball Played by Another Player
It must be known or virtually certain that a player's ball has been played by another player as a wrong ball to treat it as being moved.
For example, in stroke play, Player A and Player B hit their tee shots into the same general location. Player A finds a ball and plays it. Player B goes forward to look for his or her ball and cannot find it. After three minutes, Player B starts back to the tee to play another ball. On the way, Player B finds Player A's ball and knows then that Player A has played his or her ball in error.
Player A gets the general penalty for playing a wrong ball and must then play his or her own ball (Rule 6.3c). Player A's ball was not lost even though both players searched for more than three minutes because Player A did not start searching for his or her ball; the searching was for Player B's ball. Regarding Player B's ball, Player B's original ball was lost and he or she must put another ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b), because it was not known or virtually certain when the three-minute search time expired that the ball had been played by another player.
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
To hold the ball and let go of it so that it falls through the air, with the intent for the ball to be in play.
If the player lets go of a ball without intending it to be in play, the ball has not been dropped and is not in play (see Rule 14.4).
Each relief Rule identifies a specific relief area where the ball must be dropped and come to rest.
In taking relief, the player must let go of the ball from a location at knee height so that the ball:
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
The finishing point on the putting green for the hole being played:
The word “hole” (when not used as a Definition in italics) is used throughout the Rules to mean the part of the course associated with a particular teeing area, putting green and hole. Play of a hole begins from the teeing area and ends when the ball is holed on the putting green (or when the Rules otherwise say the hole is completed).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
The length of the longest club of the 14 (or fewer) clubs the player has during the round (as allowed by Rule 4.1b(1)), other than a putter.
For example, if the longest club (other than a putter) a player has during a round is a 43-inch (109.22 cm) driver, a club-length is 43 inches for that player for that round.
Club-lengths are used in defining the player’s teeing area on each hole and in determining the size of the player’s relief area when taking relief under a Rule.
Interpretation Club-Length/1 - Meaning of "Club-Length" When Measuring
For the purposes of measuring when determining a relief area, the length of the entire club, starting at the toe of the club and ending at the butt end of the grip is used. However, if the club has a headcover on it or has an attachment to the end of the grip, neither is allowed to be used as part of the club when using it to measure.
Interpretation Club-Length/2 - How to Measure When Longest Club Breaks
If the longest club a player has during a round breaks, that broken club continues to be used for determining the size of his or her relief areas. However, if the longest club breaks and the player is allowed to replace it with another club (Exception to Rule 4.1b(3)) and he or she does so, the broken club is no longer considered his or her longest club.
If the player starts a round with fewer than 14 clubs and decides to add another club that is longer than the clubs he or she started with, the added club is used for measuring so long as it is not a putter.
Clarification - Meaning of “Club-Length” When Playing with Partner
In partner forms of play, either partner’s longest club, except a putter, may be used for defining the teeing area or determining the size of a relief area.
(Clarification added 12/2018)
The finishing point on the putting green for the hole being played:
The word “hole” (when not used as a Definition in italics) is used throughout the Rules to mean the part of the course associated with a particular teeing area, putting green and hole. Play of a hole begins from the teeing area and ends when the ball is holed on the putting green (or when the Rules otherwise say the hole is completed).
The five defined areas that make up the course:
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
The five defined areas that make up the course:
To hold the ball and let go of it so that it falls through the air, with the intent for the ball to be in play.
If the player lets go of a ball without intending it to be in play, the ball has not been dropped and is not in play (see Rule 14.4).
Each relief Rule identifies a specific relief area where the ball must be dropped and come to rest.
In taking relief, the player must let go of the ball from a location at knee height so that the ball:
The area where a player must drop a ball when taking relief under a Rule. Each relief Rule requires the player to use a specific relief area whose size and location are based on these three factors:
In using club-lengths to determine the size of a relief area, the player may measure directly across a ditch, hole or similar thing, and directly across or through an object (such as a tree, fence, wall, tunnel, drain or sprinkler head), but is not allowed to measure through ground that naturally slopes up and down.
See Committee Procedures, Section 2I (Committee may choose to allow or require the player to use a dropping zone as a relief area when taking certain relief).
Clarification - Determining Whether Ball in Relief Area
When determining whether a ball has come to rest within a relief area (i.e. either one or two club-lengths from the reference point depending on the Rule being applied), the ball is in the relief area if any part of the ball is within the one or two club-length measurement. However, a ball is not in a relief area if any part of the ball is nearer the hole than the reference point or when any part of the ball has interference from the condition from which free relief is taken.
(Clarification added 12/2018)
The standard for deciding what happened to a player’s ball – for example, whether the ball came to rest in a penalty area, whether it moved or what caused it to move.
Known or virtually certain means more than just possible or probable. It means that either:
"All reasonably available information" includes all information the player knows and all other information he or she can get with reasonable effort and without unreasonable delay.
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/1 - Applying "Known or Virtually Certain" Standard When Ball Moves
When it is not "known" what caused the ball to move, all reasonably available information must be considered and the evidence must be evaluated to determine if it is "virtually certain" that the player, opponent or outside influence caused the ball to move.
Depending on the circumstances, reasonably available information may include, but is not limited to:
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/2 - Virtual Certainty Is Irrelevant if It Comes to Light After Three-Minute Search Expires
Determining whether there is knowledge or virtual certainty must be based on evidence known to the player at the time the three-minute search time expires.
Examples of when the player's later findings are irrelevant include when:
The player must take stroke-and-distance relief for a lost ball (Rule 18.2b) since the movement by the outside influence only became known after the search time expired.
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/3 - Player Unaware Ball Played by Another Player
It must be known or virtually certain that a player's ball has been played by another player as a wrong ball to treat it as being moved.
For example, in stroke play, Player A and Player B hit their tee shots into the same general location. Player A finds a ball and plays it. Player B goes forward to look for his or her ball and cannot find it. After three minutes, Player B starts back to the tee to play another ball. On the way, Player B finds Player A's ball and knows then that Player A has played his or her ball in error.
Player A gets the general penalty for playing a wrong ball and must then play his or her own ball (Rule 6.3c). Player A's ball was not lost even though both players searched for more than three minutes because Player A did not start searching for his or her ball; the searching was for Player B's ball. Regarding Player B's ball, Player B's original ball was lost and he or she must put another ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b), because it was not known or virtually certain when the three-minute search time expired that the ball had been played by another player.
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
The entire area of play within the edge of any boundaries set by the Committee:
The course is made up of the five defined areas of the course.
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
Another ball played in case the ball just played by the player may be:
A provisional ball is not the player’s ball in play, unless it becomes the ball in play under Rule 18.3c.
Another ball played in case the ball just played by the player may be:
A provisional ball is not the player’s ball in play, unless it becomes the ball in play under Rule 18.3c.
The procedure and penalty when a player takes relief under Rules 17, 18 or 19 by playing a ball from where the previous stroke was made (see Rule 14.6).
The term stroke and distance means that the player both:
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
Another ball played in case the ball just played by the player may be:
A provisional ball is not the player’s ball in play, unless it becomes the ball in play under Rule 18.3c.
Another ball played in case the ball just played by the player may be:
A provisional ball is not the player’s ball in play, unless it becomes the ball in play under Rule 18.3c.
The status of a player’s ball when it lies on the course and is being used in the play of a hole:
A ball that is not in play is a wrong ball.
The player cannot have more than one ball in play at any time. (See Rule 6.3d for the limited cases when a player may play more than one ball at the same time on a hole.)
When the Rules refer to a ball at rest or in motion, this means a ball that is in play.
When a ball-marker is in place to mark the spot of a ball in play:
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
Another ball played in case the ball just played by the player may be:
A provisional ball is not the player’s ball in play, unless it becomes the ball in play under Rule 18.3c.
Another ball played in case the ball just played by the player may be:
A provisional ball is not the player’s ball in play, unless it becomes the ball in play under Rule 18.3c.
The forward movement of the club made to strike the ball.
But a stroke has not been made if the player:
When the Rules refer to "playing a ball," it means the same as making a stroke.
The player's score for a hole or a round is described as a number of "strokes" or "strokes taken," which means both all strokes made and any penalty strokes (see Rule 3.1c).
Interpretation Stroke/1 - Determining If a Stroke Was Made
If a player starts the downswing with a club intending to strike the ball, his or her action counts as a stroke when:
The player's action does not count as a stroke in each of following situations:
Another ball played in case the ball just played by the player may be:
A provisional ball is not the player’s ball in play, unless it becomes the ball in play under Rule 18.3c.
Another ball played in case the ball just played by the player may be:
A provisional ball is not the player’s ball in play, unless it becomes the ball in play under Rule 18.3c.
The status of a player’s ball when it lies on the course and is being used in the play of a hole:
A ball that is not in play is a wrong ball.
The player cannot have more than one ball in play at any time. (See Rule 6.3d for the limited cases when a player may play more than one ball at the same time on a hole.)
When the Rules refer to a ball at rest or in motion, this means a ball that is in play.
When a ball-marker is in place to mark the spot of a ball in play:
The area of the course that covers all of the course except for the other four defined areas: (1) the teeing area the player must play from in starting the hole he or she is playing, (2) all penalty areas, (3) all bunkers, and (4) the putting green of the hole the player is playing.
The general area includes:
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
The area of the course that covers all of the course except for the other four defined areas: (1) the teeing area the player must play from in starting the hole he or she is playing, (2) all penalty areas, (3) all bunkers, and (4) the putting green of the hole the player is playing.
The general area includes:
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
The standard for deciding what happened to a player’s ball – for example, whether the ball came to rest in a penalty area, whether it moved or what caused it to move.
Known or virtually certain means more than just possible or probable. It means that either:
"All reasonably available information" includes all information the player knows and all other information he or she can get with reasonable effort and without unreasonable delay.
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/1 - Applying "Known or Virtually Certain" Standard When Ball Moves
When it is not "known" what caused the ball to move, all reasonably available information must be considered and the evidence must be evaluated to determine if it is "virtually certain" that the player, opponent or outside influence caused the ball to move.
Depending on the circumstances, reasonably available information may include, but is not limited to:
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/2 - Virtual Certainty Is Irrelevant if It Comes to Light After Three-Minute Search Expires
Determining whether there is knowledge or virtual certainty must be based on evidence known to the player at the time the three-minute search time expires.
Examples of when the player's later findings are irrelevant include when:
The player must take stroke-and-distance relief for a lost ball (Rule 18.2b) since the movement by the outside influence only became known after the search time expired.
Interpretation Known or Virtually Certain/3 - Player Unaware Ball Played by Another Player
It must be known or virtually certain that a player's ball has been played by another player as a wrong ball to treat it as being moved.
For example, in stroke play, Player A and Player B hit their tee shots into the same general location. Player A finds a ball and plays it. Player B goes forward to look for his or her ball and cannot find it. After three minutes, Player B starts back to the tee to play another ball. On the way, Player B finds Player A's ball and knows then that Player A has played his or her ball in error.
Player A gets the general penalty for playing a wrong ball and must then play his or her own ball (Rule 6.3c). Player A's ball was not lost even though both players searched for more than three minutes because Player A did not start searching for his or her ball; the searching was for Player B's ball. Regarding Player B's ball, Player B's original ball was lost and he or she must put another ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b), because it was not known or virtually certain when the three-minute search time expired that the ball had been played by another player.
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
To hold the ball and let go of it so that it falls through the air, with the intent for the ball to be in play.
If the player lets go of a ball without intending it to be in play, the ball has not been dropped and is not in play (see Rule 14.4).
Each relief Rule identifies a specific relief area where the ball must be dropped and come to rest.
In taking relief, the player must let go of the ball from a location at knee height so that the ball:
An area from which relief with a one-stroke penalty is allowed if the player’s ball comes to rest there.
A penalty area is:
A penalty area is one of the five defined areas of the course.
There are two different types of penalty areas, distinguished by the colour used to mark them:
If the colour of a penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.
The edge of a penalty area extends both up above the ground and down below the ground:
The edge of a penalty area should be defined by stakes, lines or physical features:
When the edge of a penalty area is defined by lines or by physical features, stakes may be used to show where the penalty area is, but they have no other meaning.
When the edge of a body of water is not defined by the Committee, the edge of that penalty area is defined by its natural boundaries (that is, where the ground slopes down to form the depression that can hold the water).
If an open watercourse usually does not contain water (such as a drainage ditch or run-off area that is dry except during a rainy season), the Committee may define that area as part of the general area (which means it is not a penalty area).
The finishing point on the putting green for the hole being played:
The word “hole” (when not used as a Definition in italics) is used throughout the Rules to mean the part of the course associated with a particular teeing area, putting green and hole. Play of a hole begins from the teeing area and ends when the ball is holed on the putting green (or when the Rules otherwise say the hole is completed).