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How To Take Lateral Relief From a Red Penalty Area

Players often think they can take a lateral drop near where the ball is sitting, but that’s not necessarily true. Here’s the scoop on where you take lateral relief from a red penalty area. 
 
Today we’re strictly clarifying where you can measure from for your two club lengths when choosing the lateral relief option, but be sure to check out the Simplest Penalty Area Video You’ll Ever Watch. 
As you see in the video (from a recent Girlfriends Golf Trip to the amazing Punta Mita resort in Mexico) sometimes your golf ball will bounce into the penalty area, bounce on a rock, skid across the water or for some other reason, move forward or back within the penalty area. 
 
When you walk up to the ball and see it inside the penalty area (which may or may not contain water) you are not measuring those two club lengths from where the ball is sitting, but rather from the Reference Point.
 
The Reference Point is the spot where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area.
 
And this is where watching the ball flight of the other players in your group comes in very handy because your girlfriends (or guy friends) will help you determine where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area.
 
You can certainly play the ball as it lies and therefore avoid a one-stroke penalty, but that’s not always the best option.
If you can reach your ball within the penalty area without too much delay, then go ahead and grab it, if not you can use a different ball to take your drop from outside the penalty area.

GIRLFRIENDS TIP:  IF YOU DON’T IMMEDIATELY SEE YOUR BALL IN A PENALTY AREA, OR DEEP ROUGH, OR IN BUSHES, GRAB A NEW BALL FROM YOUR BAG JUST IN CASE YOU NEED TO PUT A NEW BALL IN PLAY. 

Then begin to measure those two club lengths from the spot where it last crossed the edge. You’ll create your Relief Area which can be sort of a pie shape, and that will be no closer to the hole than the Reference Point.
 
Many players think they should measure their relief area based on where the ball is sitting inside the penalty area, but where the ball is sitting is not relevant. The reference point is always the point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area. The video below will help you understand the subtle nuance.
 
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No Play Zone:  If those red stakes have a green tip painted on them, your ball is in a No Play Zone and the committee does not allow you to enter to get your ball, so just wave it goodbye and take out a fresh one. 

With an Advanced Rules Certification from the USGA, Marcela teaches golf rules at clubs across the country. She’s helped thousands of women boost their confidence, avoid penalties, and elevate their overall enjoyment of the game.