We’ve offered an explanation on what those white, yellow and red stakes and lines on a golf course mean and go on to elaborate on its impact on golf plays and the penalties involved.
However, those colors are not just the ones that can be seen around a golf course. There are a couple more less-common colors, and perhaps a combination of colors, you may also notice upon navigating your way around a course. In this article, we are going to talk about them.
Yellow and red
You will probably see double stakes or stakes tied together in yellow and red color accordingly. They basically mean a dividing point between a dual hazard – that is, the point where a regular water hazard meets a lateral water hazard.
Blue
This is perhaps a rare marking color you will see on a course. Blue stakes are basically used to indicate a GUR or ground under repair. But under repair areas of a course are more commonly represented by white markings around them.
Green
This is yet another rarely used marking color on a golf course. But when a course has a green stake in some parts it usually means those areas are ESA or environmentally sensitive areas.
Blue and green
Based on the meanings mentioned about these colors, a marking of this color combination (blue stake with green top) on a course, under a local rule, essentially means an ESA being considered GUR – that is, an environmentally sensitive area being treated as ground under repair with mandatory relief.
Red and green
Similar to the blue and green combination, you may also notice a red stake with green top on a course. This marking, under a local rule, basically means an ESA being considered as a lateral water hazard with mandatory relief.
There you have it! Did you notice a marking on a course in color that is not defined here? Let us know in the comments and we’ll try to give its meaning.