Before you lift the ball

Cart Path Relief: Find the Nearest Complete-Relief Point

Before lifting a ball from a cart path, find the nearest point of complete relief. See how stance changes the answer and why relief can leave a worse lie.

Competition

Competitive Play · Updated October 21, 2026

The short version

  • An artificially surfaced path can give free relief when it interferes with the ball, intended stance or swing. Check any Local Rule first.
  • Nearest means the closest qualifying point, not the most attractive lie or your preferred side.
  • In the general area, the ball must be dropped in and come to rest in the relief area with complete relief.

Before you lift the ball

General-area relief · Rule 16.1b

Find the nearest point.
Then judge the lie.

  1. Check entitlement.

    Confirm that the path interferes with the ball, reasonable stance or swing, and that no Local Rule changes the procedure.

  2. Find complete relief.

    Use the reasonable shot you would have played. Choose the nearest qualifying point, even if it leaves a worse lie.

  3. Define the drop.

    One club-length from the reference point, in the general area, no nearer the hole than that point, with complete relief from the path.

Inspect the option before lifting. Handedness alone does not decide the side. For official illustrations and exceptions, read Rule 16; for the dropping procedure, read Rule 14.3.

First establish that relief is available

Under Rule 16, an artificially surfaced path is generally an immovable obstruction unless the Committee treats it differently. For a ball in the general area, contact with the path or interference with the intended stance or swing can qualify. The path merely being on the line of play normally does not.

There is no free relief under this rule for a ball in a penalty area. Relief is also unavailable when playing the ball is clearly unreasonable for another reason, or only an unreasonable stance, swing or direction creates the interference. Bunkers and putting greens have their own procedures. Check the notice to players.

Use the shot you would have played

Identify the club, direction and stance you would reasonably use if the path were absent. Compare qualifying points on both sides, no nearer the hole. The nearest point must remove all interference with the ball, stance and intended swing.

A different intended stance can change which point qualifies. Handedness alone does not select a side. Estimate relief for the reasonable stroke you would have made from the original spot, then check that the path no longer interferes with that stroke.

A worse lie is still the correct side

Before picking up the ball, inspect the nearest point and the possible relief area. It may be in rough, beside a tree or on a slope. Ordinary free relief is an option: you can normally play the ball as it lies instead. A no-play-zone requirement is different.

Worked example: the fairway side is farther away. Your ball is on an artificially surfaced path in the general area. You have a reasonable seven-iron shot from the original position, and no Local Rule changes the ordinary relief procedure.

Before lifting, you check the intended stance and swing. Assume the nearest qualifying point is 0.7 metres from the ball in thick rough; the nearest qualifying point on the fairway side is 1.6 metres away. Both are no nearer the hole and give complete relief from the path. These are fictional measurements supplied to explain the decision, not measurements from a course or a diagram.

The 0.7-metre point is the reference point. Measure the one-club-length relief area from there, retaining the general-area and complete-relief limits and staying no nearer the hole than that reference point. In this example the whole permitted area remains in thick rough and the attractive fairway spot is outside it. The rough does not let you substitute the farther reference point.

Your decision, while the ball is still in place: play the reasonable shot from the path, or take the available free relief into the rough. Ordinary path relief is optional here. Check the actual relief area before lifting; a no-play zone or a different course area changes the question.

Do not choose the farther side because it gives a clean shot. Moving a point to improve the lie changes the procedure. If you are uncertain during an event, ask a referee before lifting.

Build the relief area, then drop

For Rule 16.1b relief, use one club-length from the reference point. The area must stay in the general area, be no nearer the hole than the reference point, and provide complete relief from the path. Club-length uses the longest club carried for the round other than a putter.

Under Rule 14.3, the player drops straight down from knee height, without throwing, spinning or rolling it, and without touching the player or equipment before it hits the ground. It must first hit the ground in the relief area and come to rest there. Follow the re-drop and placement procedure if it does not stay in the area; do not simply choose a convenient spot.

For uncertainty about procedure in stroke play, see the two-ball reporting rule. For preparation before a competition, use the tournament checklist.

Your next move

Check Rule 16

Confirm the relief procedure for the area of the course and ask the Committee when uncertain.

Check Rule 16(Official source), opens in a new tab

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose either side of the cart path?
No. Use the nearest point of complete relief for the reasonable intended shot, even if the resulting lie is worse.
Does stance interference count?
It can. The intended stance and swing must be reasonable, and the specific course area and Local Rules still matter.

Keep reading

Sources and review

What it covers
Source-based explanation of general-area cart-path relief, checked October 21, 2026. The worked distances are fictional; the actual lie and Local Rules determine the procedure.
Checked

Primary sources

What this page cannot tell you

  • Educational explanation, not a ruling for a particular lie. Ask the Committee or a referee when the applicable relief procedure is uncertain.