Rules for Bunkers and Penalty Areas: What You Can and Can’t Do

Few places on the golf course stir up more anxiety than bunkers and penalty areas. Whether it’s a tricky greenside sand shot or a ball that trickled into a water hazard, these areas challenge your skill — and your knowledge of the rules.

But here’s the good news: many of the bunker and hazard rules have been updated to be more player-friendly in recent years. You can now move loose impediments, touch the ground in penalty areas, and even take relief from bunkers in certain situations — as long as you know the correct procedure.

This article will break down the rules you need to understand when dealing with bunkers and penalty areas, including when you can take relief, how to drop properly, and what’s changed in the modern rulebook.

Let’s start with the sand.

What You Can and Can’t Do in a Bunker

Bunkers may look simple, but the rules that govern them can trip up even experienced golfers. The sand is considered a specially prepared area, and certain restrictions apply that don’t exist elsewhere on the course.

What You Can Do

Thanks to modern rule changes, you now have a little more freedom in the sand:

• ✅ Remove loose impediments (like leaves, stones, or twigs)
• ✅ Touch the sand with your hand or club outside of your intended swing
• ✅ Lean on your club for balance
• ✅ Rake the bunker after your shot
• ✅ Fix animal damage or abnormal conditions (with proper relief)

These changes make it easier to prepare for your shot and play quickly — but there are still restrictions you need to be aware of.

What You Can’t Do

There are still some actions that result in penalties:

• ❌ Grounding the club behind the ball before the stroke
• ❌ Touching the sand on practice swings or during backswing
• ❌ Deliberately testing the condition of the sand
• ❌ Improving your lie by smoothing or pressing down sand before your shot

Breaking any of these rules typically results in a two-stroke penalty in stroke play or loss of hole in match play.

Pro Tip: Always hover your club above the sand at address, and avoid touching the sand during practice swings near the ball.

Taking Relief from a Bunker

Sometimes a bunker shot just isn’t worth the risk — maybe the ball is buried under a lip, resting against the edge, or sitting in deep, wet sand. Fortunately, the rules provide several relief options for unplayable lies in bunkers, depending on how much risk or penalty you’re willing to accept.

Option 1: Stroke and Distance Relief

The most basic option is to go back and replay the previous shot. This comes with a one-stroke penalty and is often used if your original shot into the bunker was a mistake you’d rather not build on.

Option 2: Back-on-the-Line Relief (Staying in the Bunker)

You can also drop your ball on a line behind where it lies, going back as far as you want — but you must stay within the bunker. This can give you a better lie and angle, especially if you’re in a bad spot up against the lip. This relief also costs one penalty stroke.

Option 3: Outside-the-Bunker Relief (Two-Stroke Penalty)

If you’re in a bunker and truly stuck, you can opt to drop your ball outside the bunker by going back on a line between the hole and your ball. However, this option comes with a two-stroke penalty. It’s rarely used by pros, but in recreational play it can be the smart move to avoid disaster or injury.

Tip: Consider your lie, your confidence with bunker shots, and how much risk you’re willing to take. Sometimes giving up a stroke to get out clean is the smarter play — especially if it saves you from compounding mistakes.

Understanding Penalty Areas (Red vs. Yellow)

Penalty areas — which used to be called “water hazards” — aren’t just ponds and lakes. They can include dry creek beds, thick brush, or any area marked with red or yellow stakes or lines. Knowing the difference between red and yellow penalty areas helps you choose the right relief option and avoid unnecessary penalties.

Yellow Penalty Areas

Yellow penalty areas offer two relief options, each with a one-stroke penalty:

1. Stroke and distance — replay the shot from the original spot.
2. Back-on-the-line relief — drop behind the hazard, keeping the point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area between you and the hole. You can go as far back as you want on that line.

This is most common with hazards that are directly in front of you — like a pond before the green.

Red Penalty Areas

Red penalty areas are more flexible. You still have the same two options as yellow areas, but red areas offer a third:

3. Lateral relief — drop within two club lengths of the spot where your ball last crossed the red line or stake, no closer to the hole.

This extra option makes red penalty areas more forgiving — and they’re used more often by courses to give players an easier relief choice, especially on the sides of fairways.

Can You Play From a Penalty Area?

Yes — you’re allowed to play your ball from inside a penalty area if you find it and can make a reasonable swing. Just remember:

• You can ground your club now (since 2019 rule changes)
• You can remove loose impediments
• You’re still responsible for playing the ball as it lies — no improving your conditions

Tip: Always watch your ball closely when it nears a penalty area so you can identify where it last crossed the edge. This determines where and how you’re allowed to take relief.

Taking Proper Relief from a Penalty Area

When your ball enters a penalty area, the key is knowing how to proceed correctly — and avoid adding strokes beyond the one you’re already taking for relief. The rules offer clear procedures depending on whether your ball is found or lost in the area.

One-Stroke Penalty Applies

Any relief from a red or yellow penalty area comes with a one-stroke penalty — unless you’re playing the ball as it lies inside the area. Once you decide to take relief, the clock starts on finding the correct reference point and establishing your drop area.

If the Ball Is Found

If you locate your ball inside the penalty area, you can:

• Play it as it lies, without penalty
• Or take relief using the appropriate option for a red or yellow area

You may also remove loose impediments or ground your club, but you can’t improve your lie or conditions affecting the stroke.

If the Ball Is Not Found

If your ball isn’t found but you’re virtually certain it entered the penalty area, you’re still allowed to take penalty area relief.

“Virtually certain” means there’s clear evidence or strong belief (from you and your group) that the ball went into the hazard — even if you didn’t see it splash. If there’s no such certainty, you must treat it as a lost ball and go back to the previous spot under stroke and distance.

Establishing the Relief Area

Once you identify the entry point, follow the proper drop procedure:

• For back-on-the-line relief, keep that point between you and the hole
• For lateral relief, measure two club lengths from the entry point, no closer to the hole
• Drop from knee height, and ensure the ball stays within the defined area

Tip: Make sure you’re measuring correctly and using your longest club (excluding your putter) to define the two-club-length area. An improper drop could cost you an additional penalty.

Removing Loose Impediments and Grounding the Club

One of the biggest updates to the Rules of Golf in recent years was how players are allowed to interact with the ground and loose debris in penalty areas and bunkers. These changes help simplify the game and make it more fair — especially in difficult lies.

Penalty Areas: More Freedom

In penalty areas (marked with red or yellow), you are now allowed to:

• Ground your club before or during your swing
• Touch the water or ground with your hand or club
• Remove loose impediments like leaves, sticks, and stones

These actions used to result in penalties, but they are now fully permitted, making it easier to prepare for a shot in tricky conditions.

The one caveat: you cannot improve your conditions. That means no flattening tall grass, no scooping sand to build a stance, and no pressing down on the ground behind the ball to create a better lie.

Bunkers: Still Some Restrictions

In bunkers, the rules are a little stricter. You can remove loose impediments, but:

• You cannot ground your club right behind the ball
• You cannot touch the sand with your club during practice swings or the backswing
• You can touch the sand elsewhere, as long as it’s not part of your intended swing area

Touching the sand for balance or accidentally brushing it while walking through is also allowed, as long as it doesn’t test the condition of the bunker or improve your lie.

Tip: Think of bunkers as controlled zones. You have more freedom than in the past, but you still need to hover your club and be mindful of what you touch near your ball.

Conclusion

Navigating bunkers and penalty areas doesn’t have to be a nerve-racking experience or a constant source of penalty strokes.

By understanding exactly what’s allowed — from removing loose impediments and grounding your club to knowing the proper relief procedures — you not only save strokes but also help maintain a smooth pace of play.

These rules have been updated to be more player-friendly and to simplify some of the more complex situations, so there’s no need to worry if you follow them step by step.

When you know your options and the associated penalties, you’ll approach these tricky areas with greater confidence.

Whether you’re dealing with a challenging bunker shot or a penalty area that seems to close in on you, being well-versed in the rules allows you to make smart decisions quickly. Remember, the goal isn’t to overthink every situation but to work within the guidelines so that the game remains enjoyable and fair.

Armed with this knowledge, you can focus more on your swing and strategy and less on potential rule violations. Keep this guide handy on the course, and soon you’ll find that these once-daunting areas become just another part of your game plan.

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Thanks for reading today’s article!

Nick Foy – Golf Instructor