Penalty Area Margins

Posted on: 9 February


All penalty areas on the course are red penalty areas. These are generally marked with red stakes.

Note: there are three relief options from red penalty areas – Rules 17.1d (1), (2) and (3). If drop zones are in place, these are optional unless stated otherwise.

For major events such as the Senior PGA Championship, red lines are also used. When both stakes and lines are used for the same penalty area, the lines define the edge of the penalty area and the stakes show where the penalty area is located.

If a body of water on the course is not defined by stakes or lines, 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 there are no stakes or lines defining the penalty area margins of the pond between the 14th and 15th holes and the pond adjacent to the 8th green, the following applies:

  • Where a sandstone wall is in place at the edge of the penalty area, the wall itself defines the margin and is in the penalty area. The wall is an integral part of the course and there is no free relief if the wall interferes with a players stance or swing, even if the ball is outside the penalty area.
  • Where there is no sandstone wall in place, the margin is defined by its natural boundaries, as outlined above.

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