General question re 1 and 2 club length penalty and dropping in General area

[3offTheTee]

Go easy on me if the terminology is wrong please!

1. Seem to recall ColinL had a crib re 1 and 2 shot penalties. is there a rule of thumb please?
2. when in the General area and I am taking relief is it always drop OR are there occasions when place is in operation? I am not referring to when preferred lies

 

[jim8flog]

You really have to know what rule you are taking relief under to be sure.

The general rules are that relief without penalty is nearest point of full relief then one club length. Taking relief under penalty is two or more club lengths from where the ball lies (eg unplayable two club lengths within a semi circle from where the ball lies or as far back as you want keeping the point where the balls lies and the hole in a straight line.

General rule drop in the General Area and place when required e.g when the ball fails to stay in the required relief area after two drops.

 

[salfordlad]

On 1: there's no simple rule of thumb on 1v2 stroke penalties. Here's a complete list of 1 stroke penalties: http://generalarea.org/ewExternalFiles/2019 Rules to Remember - One Stroke Penalty - 2019V11.pdf On club lengths of relief area, here is the USGA answer:
There is no 100% fool-proof way to state this without knowing your various relief options to begin with. Lateral relief (red penalty area or unplayable) uses two club-lengths. Everything else is a one club-length relief area (other than when your ball starts on the putting green or Model Local Rule E-5).

On 2: "Relief" rules are diverse and there is not a single definition -generally but not always drops are involved. Some involve moving an interfering item (loose impediments/movable obstructions); others involve marking, lifting and replacing (eg 15.3).

 

[Steven Rules]

Go easy on me if the terminology is wrong please!

1. Seem to recall ColinL had a crib re 1 and 2 shot penalties. is there a rule of thumb please?
2. when in the General area and I am taking relief is it always drop OR are there occasions when place is in operation? I am not referring to when preferred lies

Re 1 - I concur with what others have said. Don't try to look for a rule of thumb. But, nevertheless, having said that, here's what the Rules themselves (Rule 1.3c(2)) have to say about the levels of penalties:

(2) Levels of Penalties. Penalties are meant to cancel out any potential advantage to the player. There are three main penalty levels:

One-Stroke Penalty. This penalty applies in both match play and stroke play under certain Rules where either (a) the potential advantage from a breach is minor or (b) a player takes penalty relief by playing a ball from a different place than where the original ball lies.

General Penalty (Loss of Hole in Match Play, Two-Stroke Penalty in Stroke Play). This penalty applies for a breach of most Rules, where the potential advantage is more significant than where only one penalty stroke applies.

Disqualification. In both match play and stroke play, a player may be disqualified from the competition for certain actions or Rule breaches involving serious misconduct (see Rule 1.2) or where the potential advantage is too significant for the player’s score to be considered valid.