Relief from a yellow penalty area.

Yellow areas do not automatically offer the red area’s two-club-length lateral option.

Plain-language guide · Rule 17.1d. Use the current official text and your round’s Local Rules for a ruling.

What to know

For one penalty stroke, use stroke-and-distance or back-on-the-line relief. For the latter, keep the last crossing point between the hole and the spot where you drop on the line.

On the course

Go back far enough for a useful location, then follow the Rule’s drop and relief-area requirements.