What are the parts of a golf course called in the Rules?
B · Beginner · Starting and playing a hole · 4 of 13The Rules divide the course into five areas: the teeing area of the hole being played, every penalty area, every bunker, the putting green of the hole being played and the general area, which is everything else. The area a ball lies in decides which Rules apply to it.
How it works
| Area | What it is | Its Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Teeing area | Where the hole being played must be started | Rule 6.2 |
| Penalty areas | Water, and other ground the Committee marks in red or yellow | Rule 17 |
| Bunkers | Prepared areas of sand | Rule 12 |
| Putting green | The green of the hole being played | Rule 13 |
| General area | The rest of the course: fairway, rough, trees | Most other Rules |
- A ball is always treated as lying in one area only. If it touches the general area and a specific area, it is in the specific area. If it touches two specific areas, the order is penalty area, then bunker, then putting green.
- Ground outside the boundary is out of bounds and not part of the course.
- The tees and greens of other holes are part of the general area. The green of another hole is a wrong green: a player must take free relief from it and may not play from it.
- A no play zone is a part of the course where the Committee has banned play. A player must take relief from it.
Tricky cases
Is the fairway a separate area under the Rules?
No. Fairway and rough are both general area, and almost every Rule treats them alike.
A ball lies half in a bunker and half on the grass outside it. Where is it?
In the bunker. Part of the ball in a specific area puts the whole ball in that area.
Can a player putt from the green of another hole?
No. That is a wrong green, and relief from it is compulsory.
Why the rule exists
Different ground asks different things of a player, so the Rules that apply change with it: more freedom on the green, less in a bunker. Naming the areas makes it possible to say which Rule applies where.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rules of Golf | As above | G 2; G 13.1f |
From the rule book
The R&A and USGA Rules of Golf, Rules 2 and 13.1f, and the Definitions of general area and wrong green. Effective January 2023. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules of Golf (PDF).