Red or yellow stakes? On the golf course, these colors define hazards, rules, options—and sometimes wet pants.
The question of “red or yellow?” doesn’t just divide car enthusiasts debating the ideal Ferrari paint job. While “Giallo Modena” (yellow) is the official color of the Italian automaker, inspired by Enzo Ferrari’s hometown, “Rosso Corsa” (red) is Italy’s traditional racing color. In golf, these two colors also spark debate—not over aesthetics, but over rules. Red and yellow stakes mark penalty areas on the course and often prompt philosophical questions from golfers about how to proceed.
These colored markings designate penalty areas that require specific attention under the Rules of Golf. Although such zones may have existed earlier, the 1980 rulebook was the first to officially reference yellow and red stakes—yellow for water hazards and red for lateral water hazards. Other familiar colors include white for out-of-bounds and blue for no-play zones.
Golf and Nature: A Slippery Relationship
In real play, it’s not uncommon for a ball to end up in a penalty area. Players are allowed to attempt a shot from within the zone without penalty—as long as the ball is playable. This has led to some humorous moments, even at the professional level, when players end up muddy or even submerged trying to save a stroke.
Anything for the team. 😂
Nothing like this moment from Woody Austin at the 2007 Presidents Cup.pic.twitter.com/yP0KTkA9bK
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) December 13, 2019
What If the Ball Is Unplayable?
If a ball lands in a red penalty area and is deemed unplayable, players have three relief options—each costing one penalty stroke. These are outlined in Rule 17.1d. The first is stroke-and-distance relief: simply replay the shot from the original position.
The second is back-on-the-line relief. The player drops a ball outside the penalty area, keeping the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the hazard between the hole and the drop point. There’s no limit to how far back the player can go. The relief area is one club-length in any direction from where the ball first touches the ground, but it must not be closer to the hole, must be outside the penalty area, and must be in the same area of the course as the drop point.
The third option, available only for red penalty areas, is lateral relief. The player estimates the point where the ball last crossed the red hazard line and drops within two club-lengths of that spot, no closer to the hole. The ball must come to rest outside the penalty area and in the same area of the course it first touched during the