Golf rules every beginner should know: out of bounds, penalty areas and unplayable lies

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You do not need to memorise the whole rulebook to enjoy golf, but a handful of situations come up in nearly every round. This guide explains them in plain terms, based on the current Rules of Golf published jointly by the R&A and the USGA. The Rules are revised on a recurring cycle of roughly four years, and courses add their own local rules, so check the scorecard and notice board too.

Before you start

Maximum 14 clubs. Carrying more brings a penalty.
Identify your ball. Put a personal mark on it so you can be sure it is yours. Playing the wrong ball is a penalty.
Play the course as you find it and the ball as it lies, unless a rule allows otherwise.

Lost balls and out of bounds

Out of bounds is usually marked by white stakes or lines, or by boundary fences. A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies beyond that boundary.

If your ball is out of bounds, or lost, the basic rule is stroke and distance: add one penalty stroke and play again from where you hit the previous shot.
You have three minutes to search for a ball before it counts as lost.
If you think a ball might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds, you can play a provisional ball before going forward to look. Say clearly that it is a provisional. If the original is found in bounds in time, you carry on with it; if not, the provisional becomes your ball.

Many clubs adopt an optional local rule for general play that lets you drop near where the ball was lost or went out, towards the edge of the fairway, for two penalty strokes instead of walking back. It applies only if the committee has put it in effect, and it is generally not used in elite competitions.

Penalty areas

Penalty areas are usually water, such as lakes, ditches and streams, but a course can mark other areas too. They are shown with yellow or red stakes or lines.

You may play the ball as it lies without penalty, and you may ground your club and move loose impediments.
Or take relief for one penalty stroke:

Stroke and distance: replay from where you played the last shot.
Back-on-the-line: keep the point where the ball last crossed the edge between you and the hole, and drop on that line as far back as you like.
Lateral relief, red areas only: drop within two club-lengths of where the ball last crossed the edge, no nearer the hole.

Unplayable ball

Anywhere except in a penalty area, you can declare your ball unplayable. Only you can make that decision. For one penalty stroke you may:

Replay from where you hit the last shot.
Drop back on a line from the hole through the ball's spot.
Drop within two club-lengths of the ball, no nearer the hole.

In a bunker, the second and third options require you to drop in the bunker. There is also an extra option to drop back on the line outside the bunker for two penalty strokes in total.

Free relief

Some conditions give relief without penalty, usually a drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief:

Abnormal course conditions: temporary water, ground under repair, animal holes and immovable obstructions such as paths and sprinkler heads.
Movable obstructions, such as rakes or bottles, can simply be moved.
Loose impediments, such as leaves and twigs, can be removed, but take care not to move your ball.

How to drop

Drop from knee height, letting the ball fall straight down without throwing or spinning it. It must land in and come to rest in the relief area.

When unsure

In stroke play, if you are not sure of the right procedure, you can play two balls and report it to the committee before returning your card. In friendly golf, agree with your playing partners and look it up afterwards. The official Rules of Golf app and website from the R&A and the USGA are free. Which rule confused you most when you started? Share it in the comments.