The Rules of Golf run to 200 pages. Most golfers will never need to read them — but every golfer will eventually run into a ruling that costs them a stroke and want to know whether it was deserved. This page is the master index of every rules term defined on Golfing Fore All: what to do when your ball is lost, when you are entitled to a free drop, when you cost yourself a stroke, and when you cost yourself the hole.
If you’re studying for a club championship, settling a dispute on the first tee, or just trying to understand a tour ruling you watched on TV, the terms below are your reference. Every entry links to a plain-English definition reviewed by a PGA-credentialed editor and verified against the current R&A and USGA rule books.
The Essentials
- Provisional Ball — a backup ball played when you suspect your original may be lost or out of bounds
- Free Drop — relief without penalty for casual water, ground under repair, or immovable obstructions
- Penalty Stroke — an extra stroke added to your score for a rules infraction or chosen relief
- Stroke and Distance — the worst penalty in golf — used for lost balls and out of bounds
- Unplayable Lie — a one-stroke penalty option you can use anywhere on the course except in a penalty area
- Casual Water — temporary water you can take free relief from
- Ground Under Repair — damaged or marked ground that entitles you to free relief
- Loose Impediment — natural objects (leaves, stones, twigs) you can move without penalty
How These Terms Relate
Most rules fall into one of two big categories: relief (when you get to move your ball) and penalty (when something costs you strokes). Relief comes in two flavors. Free relief is available for abnormal course conditions — casual water, ground under repair, immovable obstructions like cart paths and sprinkler heads, and animal holes. You drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief, no closer to the hole, with no penalty. Penalty relief is available for penalty areas (red or yellow stakes) and unplayable lies. You take a one-stroke penalty and choose from several drop options.
The most punishing rule in golf is stroke and distance: a one-stroke penalty plus replaying from the spot of the original shot. It applies to lost balls and shots out of bounds, and it effectively costs you two strokes since you lose both the penalty and the distance. The provisional ball rule exists to mitigate this — if you suspect your tee shot is lost or out of bounds, hit another (a provisional) before walking forward to search. If the original is found in play, you continue with it. If not, the provisional becomes your ball in play under the stroke and distance penalty, saving you the long walk back to the tee.
Beyond these core relief and penalty concepts, the rules cover dozens of specific situations. Loose impediments (natural objects like leaves, stones, and twigs) can be moved anywhere on the course without penalty. Movable obstructions (artificial objects you can pick up — a rake, a paper cup, a discarded glove) can also be moved. Immovable obstructions entitle you to free relief if they interfere with your stance or stroke. The 2019 modernisation of the rules also relaxed several old penalties: you can now putt with the flagstick in, drop from knee height instead of shoulder height, and search for a lost ball for three minutes instead of five. The rules will keep evolving — the schema for these terms is intentionally built to be updated as the rulebook changes.
The Complete Index
Every term in this cluster, alphabetised, each linked to its full plain-English definition.
- Divot
- Divot Repair
- Dress Code
- Drop Zone
- Etiquette
- Fore
- Free Drop
- Gimme
- Ground Under Repair
- Honour
- Honour System
- Lateral Relief
- Marker
- Nearest Point of Relief
- Out of Bounds
- Pace of Play
- Penalty Stroke
- Play It As It Lies
- Playing Through
- Plugged
- Plugged Lie
- Preferred Lies
- Provisional Ball
- Rake the Bunker
- Ready Golf
- Relief
Common Questions
Do I have to hit a provisional ball if my tee shot might be lost?
No, but you almost always should. Hitting a provisional saves you a long walk back to the tee if the original ball is lost or out of bounds. Just say “I am hitting a provisional” before you hit the second ball — that announcement is what gives the second ball its provisional status. If you find the original in play within three minutes, you continue with it and the provisional is abandoned with no penalty. If not, the provisional becomes your ball in play with a stroke-and-distance penalty already applied.
How long do I have to look for a lost ball?
Three minutes. The 2019 rules dropped the time limit from five minutes to three. The clock starts the moment you or your group begins searching. If three minutes pass and the ball has not been found, it is deemed lost and you must proceed under stroke and distance (or play your provisional if you hit one).
When do I get a free drop?
Anytime you have interference from an abnormal course condition (casual water, ground under repair, animal holes) or an immovable obstruction (cart path, sprinkler head, course-supplied bench). You take complete relief by finding the nearest point that gives you full relief from the interference, then drop within one club-length of that point, no closer to the hole, with no penalty. The relief is for stance, stroke, and area of intended swing — not just lie of ball.
What is the difference between a yellow stake and a red stake penalty area?
Yellow stakes mark a regular penalty area. Your relief options are stroke and distance, or drop on the line where the ball last crossed the margin of the penalty area, no closer to the hole — both with a one-stroke penalty. Red stakes mark a lateral penalty area. You get the same two options plus a third: drop within two club-lengths of where the ball last crossed the margin, no closer to the hole. Red stakes give you the most flexibility; yellow stakes are stricter.
Can I move loose impediments in a bunker?
Yes. Under the 2019 rules, loose impediments — natural objects like leaves, stones, twigs, and pine cones — may be moved anywhere on the course, including in bunkers and penalty areas. The old prohibition against moving loose impediments in hazards was removed. You still cannot ground your club in a bunker before the stroke, and you still cannot touch the sand with practice swings, but moving loose impediments is now allowed.
What is the difference between a movable and an immovable obstruction?
Both are artificial objects on the course. A movable obstruction is one that can reasonably be moved without unreasonable effort, without damaging the object, and without unreasonably delaying play — things like a rake left in a bunker, a discarded plastic cup, a player’s golf cart. You move it without penalty. An immovable obstruction is one that cannot reasonably be moved — cart paths, sprinkler heads, drinking fountains, course-supplied benches. If it interferes, you get free relief by dropping within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief.
Related Clusters
- Course Features — the named areas where each rule applies
- Formats and Games — how the rules differ between stroke play and match play
- Scoring and Stats — how penalty strokes affect your scorecard
About This Page
This cluster index is maintained by the Golfing Fore All editorial team and reviewed by a PGA-credentialed editor. If you spot something wrong, our corrections policy explains what happens next.