What do you do when your golf ball goes in the water?
B · Beginner · Lost balls, out of bounds and penalty relief · 10 of 13A penalty area is water, or other ground the Committee marks, edged in red or yellow. The player may play the ball as it lies there with no penalty, or take relief outside for one penalty stroke. Yellow gives two ways of taking relief. Red adds a third, a drop to the side.
How it works
- A penalty area is any sea, lake, pond, river or ditch on the course, even a dry one, plus any other area the Committee defines. If the colour is not marked, it is red.
- A ball is in it when any part of the ball touches or is above the area. The stakes and lines are inside it.
- Playing it as it lies is allowed, under the same Rules as in the general area. Nothing extra is banned: the club may be grounded and loose impediments removed.
- To take relief without finding the ball, it must be known or virtually certain that the ball is in the penalty area.
Relief, each for one penalty stroke:
| Option | Where the ball is played from | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke and distance | The spot of the previous stroke | Yes | Yes |
| Back on the line | Dropped on the line that runs from the hole through the point where the ball last crossed the edge, as far back as the player likes | Yes | Yes |
| Lateral relief | Dropped within two club-lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the edge, not nearer the hole | No | Yes |
- Back on the line: the ball is dropped on the line, and must stop within one club-length of where it first lands.
- Free relief from ground under repair or an embedded ball, and unplayable-ball relief, are not available in a penalty area.
- A player may stand in a penalty area to play a ball that is outside it.
Tricky cases
Can the club touch the ground or the water before the stroke in a penalty area?
Yes. There are "no special Rules limiting how a ball may be played from a penalty area".
The ball carried the pond, hit the far bank and rolled back into the water. Where is the drop?
It is taken from where the ball last crossed the edge, which is on the far bank. For a red area that allows a drop within two club-lengths of that point. For a yellow one the line runs from the hole back through that point, so the drop is back across the water.
Is a dry ditch a penalty area?
Yes. An open watercourse counts "even if not containing water", unless the Committee has made it part of the general area.
Why the rule exists
Water and similar ground are places where, in the Rules' words, "a ball is often lost or unable to be played". A fixed one-stroke price with a choice of drops keeps play moving without a search.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rules of Golf, yellow penalty area | Two relief options | G 17.1d |
| Rules of Golf, red penalty area | Three relief options | G 17.1d |
| Older usage | Called water hazards and lateral water hazards | C |
| Players using a wheeled mobility device | The lateral relief area is four club-lengths | G 25.4m |
From the rule book
The R&A and USGA Rules of Golf, Rule 17 and the Definition of penalty area. Effective January 2023. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules of Golf (PDF).