What happens when a painted line marks ground under repair?
Yes, the painted line counts as part of ground under repair. If your ball touches or crosses that line, it's in the abnormal course condition and you get free relief — nearest point of complete relief, one club-length, no closer to the hole.
The line is the boundary
When the committee marks ground under repair with a painted line — usually white — that line itself is the edge of the condition. Your ball doesn't have to be fully inside the painted area; if any part of it touches the line, the ball lies in ground under repair. That's true whether the line is on the fairway, in the rough, or on the fringe of a putting green.
Free relief, same as any abnormal course condition
Because the ball is in an abnormal course condition, you take free relief under the normal procedure. Find the nearest point of complete relief where the condition no longer interferes with your stance, swing, and intended line of play. Drop within one club-length of that spot, not nearer the hole. The ball must come to rest in the relief area and stay there.
On the putting green it's even simpler
If the painted line defining ground under repair is on the putting green, you don't drop — you place. Find the nearest point of complete relief on the green (or off it if that's closer) and place the ball there. No penalty, no measuring a club-length, just put it down and putt.
Exceptions that change the answer
- The committee defines ground under repair with stakes instead of a painted line → The stakes mark the boundary; the line between stakes is the edge. Your ball must be inside that imaginary line to be in GUR.
- Your ball is in a bunker and the painted line marks ground under repair inside the bunker → You still get free relief, but you must drop in the bunker. If there's no spot in the bunker giving complete relief, you can take maximum available relief in the bunker, or go back-on-the-line outside the bunker for one penalty stroke.
Frequently asked questions
My ball is right on the painted line — is that in ground under repair?
Yes. The line itself is part of the ground under repair. If any part of your ball touches the line, the ball is in the abnormal course condition and you get free relief.
Can I play the ball as it lies if it's on the painted line?
You can, but you don't have to. Since the ball is in ground under repair, you have the option of free relief. Most players take it unless the lie is perfect and the relief area would be worse.
What if the painted line is on the putting green and my ball is on it?
Same deal — the ball is in ground under repair. You place the ball at the nearest point of complete relief on the green (or off it if that's closer), no penalty, no drop.
Does the color of the paint matter?
White is standard for ground under repair, but the committee can use any color. What matters is the local notice or scorecard saying that painted lines define GUR. If they say blue lines are GUR, blue lines are GUR.
What if the painted line is faded and I can't tell if my ball touches it?
Use your best judgment. If it's genuinely impossible to tell, the benefit of the doubt goes to the player — treat it as touching the line and take relief if you want. But don't manufacture doubt to get a free drop.