10 Common Golf Situations  & What To Do

1. Out of Bounds (outside the white stakes) – A

2. Lost Ball – A (Niners’ Rule – B - Lateral Relief)

3.  In a Yellow Penalty Area – A or C  

4. In a Red Penalty Area – A, B or C

5. Abnormal Course Condition, immovable obstruction, animal holes, ground under repair, temporary water & embedded ball – E (Make sure ball is not in a penalty area)

6. Ball or Stance on the Cart Path – E

7. Unplayable Lie – A, B, or C (Make sure ball is not  in a penalty area)

8. Artificial Immovable Obstruction Interferes with Stance or Swing (sprinkler head, control boxes) – E

9. Ball in a Bunker that you decide is unplayable – D

10. Ball in a Bunker and you do not want to hit it out – F

Penalty or Course of Action

A.  Stroke and Distance

1 stroke penalty and replay where your last shot was made

B.  Lateral Relief 

1 stroke penalty and drop within two club lengths of where the ball last crossed the margin of the penalty area, no closer to the hole

C.  Back on the line 

1 stroke penalty, and go back as far as you would like and drop your ball on the imaginary line that extends from the hole to where the ball last crossed the penalty area

D.  Full Relief

Find the nearest point of full relief, no closer to the hole, and drop within two club lengths of that point. 1 stroke penalty

E.  Free relief

Find the nearest point of full relief, no closer to the hole and drop within one lub length of that point. No penalty

F.  Remove ball from the bunker no closer to the hole with a 2-stroke penalty