Golf Glossary
Preferred Lies and Winter Rules
In short
Preferred lies is a Local Rule that, in wet or poor ground conditions, lets you lift your ball, clean it and place it in a small area on a better spot. It usually applies only on the fairway or closely mown areas. It never applies automatically, only when the Committee expressly introduces it. People then often speak of winter rules.
What does preferred lies mean in golf?
Normally the basic rule of golf is to play the ball as it lies. In winter or after heavy rain the ground is often muddy, and the ball ends up in wet soil, mud or trampled earth. The Committee can then introduce a Local Rule that allows preferred lies. It lets you lift the ball, clean it and place it again within a set area.
The rule-makers call this Local Rule preferred lies. It appears as Model Local Rule E-3 in the model Local Rules of the Rules of Golf. The term winter rules is common in everyday speech and usually means exactly this, sometimes also other winter measures. Preferred lies is therefore not a rule of the game itself but an exception that a course introduces for certain periods.
Why are there winter rules?
There are two reasons. First, the game should stay fair and pleasant when the ground is very wet. A ball sunk into muddy ground is hard to strike cleanly. Second, the course should be protected. If every player has to hit their ball out of wet ground, the fairways suffer more damage. Preferred lies can therefore help protect the turf.
The rule is an exception for difficult times, not a permanent solution. The Committee should end it once conditions improve. On many courses it therefore applies only on certain days or in certain months. Whether it applies on your day of play, you will learn from the noticeboard or from the course.
How preferred lies work
Once the Local Rule is introduced, a fixed procedure applies:
- Check whether your ball lies in the permitted area. Usually that is only the fairway or closely mown areas, sometimes the whole general area.
- Mark the ball's spot before you lift it. It is the reference point you measure from.
- Lift the ball and clean it.
- Place the ball in the specified area, for example within one scorecard length, six inches or one club-length. The ball is placed, not dropped.
- It must not lie nearer the hole than the original spot and must stay in the general area.
You have only one opportunity per stroke. If the wind moves the ball after you have placed it, you may not prefer it again. You play it from the new spot.
Where does it apply and where not?
Preferred lies apply only to what the Committee expressly names. Usual is the closely mown part of the general area, so fairway and fringe, sometimes the rough too. The Model Local Rule is designed for areas cut to fairway height or less. If it is extended to the whole general area, players could get relief from spots where the ball would otherwise be barely playable, such as in bushes.
Preferred lies do not apply:
- in a bunker
- in a penalty area
- on the putting green, where you may mark, lift and clean anyway
- in the teeing area, where you can place the tee freely
The rule must also not be introduced once a stroke-play round has begun. It must be settled at the start of the round. If you are unsure whether it applies to your game, ask before you start.
A practical example: a wet fairway in autumn
It has rained all week. The course noticeboard says: ‘Preferred lies in closely mown areas, one scorecard length, not nearer the hole.’ You are playing a par-4 hole. Your tee shot lies in the middle of the fairway, but the ball sits in wet soil (stroke 1).
You mark the ball, lift it, clean it and place it within one scorecard length, not nearer the hole, on a firm spot. Then you strike it cleanly and reach the green (stroke 2). Two putts later you write down four strokes, which is par.
Without the Local Rule you would have had to play the ball from the mud. The score would probably have been worse. With the rule you got a fair chance. The course benefits as well, because you damaged less turf.
Common mistakes and tips
These mistakes are the most common with preferred lies:
- Applying the Local Rule when it does not apply. Always check the noticeboard or the scorecard.
- Placing the ball nearer the hole than the original spot. That is forbidden.
- Placing outside the permitted area, for example further than one scorecard length.
- Dropping the ball instead of placing it. Here you place.
- Re-placing the ball several times until the lie is perfect. You only get one chance.
- Improving the ball in the rough when the Local Rule applies only to the fairway.
Anyone who breaches the Local Rule risks penalty strokes, for example for playing from a wrong place. Tip: measure with the scorecard or a club and place the ball on a firm spot. That avoids arguments with playing partners. If in doubt, ask the Committee before you lift the ball.
Importantly, preferred lies are not a right. They are an offer from the course.
How it differs from relief and the basic rule
Preferred lies are often confused with other terms. The basic rule of playing the ball as it lies always applies when no exception takes effect. Relief under the Rules of Golf, for example for ground under repair or temporary water, offers specific help for special course conditions. It always applies without the Committee having to introduce anything.
Preferred lies are a Local Rule. They apply only if the Committee sets them and only to the area named there. The other winter rules are often protective measures: some courses ban trolleys, close areas or play on temporary greens. That is part of course management and not of the Rules of Golf themselves. What counts is always what the course's Local Rules say.
Try it at Golf Lounge
You can also play at Golf Lounge Resort Hamburg in the colder months. From 1 January to 31 March the 6-hole short course ‘Red’ is converted into a 9-hole winter course that can be played daily from sunrise to sunset. The 9-hole ‘Black’ course takes its winter break from January to March. From 1 November to 31 March trolleys are not permitted on the courses. The team will tell you which Local Rules apply when you book.
Frequently asked questions
What are winter rules in golf?
Winter rules is the everyday term for preferred lies and other winter measures. It usually means the Local Rule preferred lies: you may lift the ball, clean it and place it on a better spot within a small area. It applies only if the course expressly introduces it.
May I always improve my lie?
No. Under the Rules of Golf you play the ball as it lies. Preferred lies are only allowed if the Committee has introduced the Local Rule, usually in wet ground conditions. Without that Local Rule you may not move the ball. If you do, it can cost penalty strokes.
How far may I move the ball under preferred lies?
The Committee sets that, for example one scorecard length, six inches or one club-length. The ball must not lie nearer the hole than the original spot and must stay within the permitted area. The exact figure is on the noticeboard or scorecard.
Do preferred lies apply in the rough or in bunkers?
Not in a bunker or a penalty area. In the rough only if the Committee expressly allows it. Usual is the fairway or closely mown areas. The Model Local Rule is designed for closely mown areas. The notice on site gives the exact arrangement.
Is the ball dropped under preferred lies?
No, it is placed. You lift it, clean it and place it on a firm spot in the permitted area. Dropping from knee height belongs to other forms of relief, for example after a penalty stroke. Under preferred lies you get only one attempt.
As of: October 2026