Penalty Area Relief in Jeju Golf: Check Rule 17's Options for Red and Yellow Penalty Areas

Rule 17 is the specific Rule for penalty areas. Under Rule 17.1a, a ball is in a penalty area when any part of it lies on or touches the ground or any object (such as a natural or artificial object) inside the edge of the penalty area. The whole ball does not have to be under water; if any part of it is inside the edge, it is treated as a ball in the penalty area.

Under Rule 17.1b, the player may play a ball in a penalty area as it lies, or may take penalty relief and play from outside. If the ball is sitting on the grass at the water's edge with a playable lie, playing it as it lies without penalty is also an option within the Rules.

If the ball is not found, there is one more thing to weigh. Rule 17.1c covers relief when the ball has not been found but it is known or virtually certain that it came to rest in the penalty area. If that is not known or virtually certain and the ball is lost, the player must take stroke-and-distance relief under Rule 18.2. If nobody saw it go into the water, penalty area relief cannot simply be assumed.

Under Rule 17.1d, the player may take relief for one penalty stroke. The first option is stroke-and-distance relief: the player may play the original ball or another ball from where the previous stroke was made. If a tee shot went into the water, this means going back to the teeing area and playing again.

The second is back-on-the-line relief. The ball is dropped on a line back from the estimated point where the original ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area, keeping that point between the hole and the spot where the ball is dropped. The relief area is decided as the area within one club-length in any direction from where the ball first touched the ground when dropped on that line. The relief area must not be nearer the hole than the estimated point where the original ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area.

For both options, what matters is not where the ball landed in the water but the point where it last crossed the edge. Agree with your fellow players on where the ball crossed the edge in flight, and the discussion about where to drop will not drag on.

Under Rule 17.1, penalty areas are defined as red penalty areas or yellow penalty areas, and the colour of each area affects the relief options the player can choose. The two options available in a yellow penalty area are equally available in a red penalty area, and a red penalty area has one more: lateral relief.

For lateral relief, the reference point is the estimated point where the original ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area, and the size of the relief area is within two club-lengths of that reference point. The relief area must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and it may be in any area of the course except that penalty area. Being able to come out right beside the edge of a pond that runs along the hole is the biggest difference from a yellow penalty area.

Before you step onto a hole with water, make a short list of what to check.

• Is any part of the ball inside the edge? If so, it is a ball in the penalty area
• Is the lie playable as it is? If so, playing it without penalty is also an option
• Is it known or virtually certain the ball came to rest in the penalty area? If not, it is stroke-and-distance relief under Rule 18.2
• Is the area red or yellow? Lateral relief (two club-lengths) is only for a red penalty area

Before dropping, tell your fellow players the point where the ball last crossed the edge and the option you have chosen, so the standards do not diverge. This article is based on R&A Rule 17; it does not assume the Local Rules or course conditions of any particular Jeju golf course. Courses may have additional Local Rules such as dropping zones, so also check the information for the round you are playing in.