Golf Rules

A golfer with a bad lie in the rough experiences interference from a sprinkler head and takes free relief. Since the one club-length reference point extends into the fairway, they are allowed to drop there.

Red stakes allow lateral relief within two club lengths of where the ball last crossed the penalty area edge, no closer to the hole. Yellow stakes typically require backward relief from where the shot was played.

USGA sorted through thousands of rules questions from the past year and found the five most frequently asked questions, including what to do when your ball is on a cart path and the difference between red and yellow penalty areas.