Rule 2: The Golf Course: Understanding Your Playing Field
What this is about
Rule 2 shows you how the course is divided. Where your ball lies determines which rules apply.
What you need to do
The course has five areas:
- Teeing area: where you start each hole.
- General area: the rest of the course, including the fairway and rough.
- Penalty areas: water and rough terrain, marked in yellow or red.
- Bunkers: the prepared sand pits.
- Putting green: the closely mown zone around the hole.
If your ball lies on the edge of two areas, the more specific area counts: first penalty area, then bunker, then green.
For puddles, immovable obstructions, and loose objects, you can often take free relief. Not for boundary stakes.
You must always take relief from a no play zone. If you still play from one, that costs two penalty strokes.
Common mistake
Thinking you can take relief from anything anywhere. Boundary stakes are part of the course, so you get no free relief from them.
Example
Your ball lies half on the green and half in the rough. Under the rules, it's on the green, so you follow the green rules.
Practise this rule with real exam questions in the free app.
2.1 Boundary edges and out of bounds
The Committee sets the boundary of the course. Everything outside it is out of bounds and isn't part of the course. The boundary is marked with white stakes, lines or other markings; those markings themselves are also out of bounds. Where stakes or a fence mark the boundary, the boundary runs along the line between the course-side points of the stakes, at ground level.
2.2 Defined areas of the course
2.2a The general area
The general area is the whole course except the four specific areas. It's by far the largest part: fairway, semi-rough, rough, trees and bushes all belong to it.
2.2b The four specific areas
Besides the general area, the course has four specific areas, each with its own rules:
- The teeing area of the hole you're playing, bounded by the tee-markers
- All penalty areas: water and other areas designated by the Committee, marked with yellow or red stakes or lines
- All bunkers: specially prepared areas of sand
- The putting green of the hole you're playing, meant for putting
2.2c Determining which area of the course the ball is in
Where your ball lies determines which rules apply. If your ball lies partly in a specific area, that specific area counts. If it touches two specific areas, this order applies: penalty area first, then bunker, then putting green.
2.3 Objects and conditions that can interfere with play
The Rules distinguish:
- Loose impediments: leaves, twigs, stones and dead insects that aren't attached, growing, or embedded in the ground
- Movable obstructions: movable artificial objects, such as rakes, cups and bottles
- Abnormal course conditions: animal holes, ground under repair, temporary water and immovable obstructions such as paths and sprinklers. You may take free relief from these (Rule 16.1)
- Integral objects and boundary objects: parts the Committee has defined, such as walls, and the boundary markings themselves. You may not take free relief from these
2.4 No-play zones
The Committee can mark part of the course as a no-play zone. Such a zone always lies within an abnormal course condition or a penalty area. You can't play from there: if your ball is in it, or the zone interferes with your stance or swing, you must take relief.