What Is Internal Out of Bounds in Golf?

You’ve just crushed a drive down what you thought was the left side of the fairway, only to see your buddy point to a line of white stakes partway down the hole and say, Tough break. That’s internal out of bounds. You're left standing on the tee, confused and frustrated. An area in the middle of the course is out of bounds? This article will break down exactly what internal out of bounds is, why it’s there, and - most importantly - how to handle it so you can play smarter and with more confidence.

What Exactly Is Internal Out of Bounds?

Think about the normal out of bounds on a golf course - it’s usually a fence, a road, or a line of white stakes that marks the absolute edge of the course property. If your ball goes past that line, it's gone. Internal out of bounds (often abbreviated as "internal OB") applies that same principle to an area inside the golf course's property lines.

Essentially, the committee or course management has decided to declare a specific part of the course - which you might otherwise think is perfectly in play - as out of bounds for the hole you are currently playing. These areas are almost always marked with white stakes. Seeing a line of white stakes running between two fairways or through a patch of trees is the clearest sign you're dealing with internal OB.

For example, while you're playing hole #4, the fairway of hole #5 might be declared "internal out of bounds." If your ball a an errant shot lands on the 5th fairway, even though it's perfectly manicured grass just 30 yards away, according to the rules for hole #4, your ball is out of play just as if you'd hit it into the parking lot.

Why Do Golf Courses Use Internal OB?

This rule can feel arbitrary and punishing, but courses have very logical reasons for implementing it. It almost always comes down to two major factors: player safety and course design integrity.

1. To Ensure Player Safety

This is the most common reason. Modern golf courses are often built on smaller plots of land, meaning holes can run parallel to each other or crisscross in ways that create potentially dangerous situations. Internal OB is a tool to guide players away from hitting into these danger zones.

Example 1: The Dogleg Hole. Picture a sharp dogleg right par-4. A long hitter might be tempted to blast their driver straight over a thick patch of trees to cut the corner, possibly driving the green. The problem? The tee box for the next hole is nestled right behind those trees. To prevent players from launching blind rockets over the heads of the group ahead, the course superintendent will run a line of white stakes through those trees. This effectively eliminates the shortcut. If you hit it over there, you're not a hero, you're heading back to the tee to hit again.

Example 2: Parallel Fairways. Imagine holes #7 and #8 run parallel to each other but in opposite directions. The area between them might be wide open. To stop players on the 7th tee from bailing out way to the right onto the 8th fairway to avoid a lake on the left, the course might install internal OB down the entire right side of the 7th hole. This forces you to confront the intended challenge of the hole.

2. To Maintain the Integrity of the Course Design

Golf course architects spend an immense amount of time crafting holes that present a specific strategic challenge. They design risk/reward scenarios that force you to make a decision. Sometimes, clever golfers find shortcuts that completely bypass the intended design, making the hole much easier than it was meant to be. Internal OB is the club's way of restoring the architect's vision.

• Preserving Risk/Reward: Consider a par-5 with a lake guarding the front of the green, asking for a three-shot strategy. However, the fairway of an adjacent hole provides a wide, safe bailout area, allowing players to get much closer for their third shot without ever challenging the water. By designating that adjacent fairway as internal OB, the course forces you to play the hole as it was designed, keeping the risk of the water in play.
• Protecting Environmentally Sensitive Areas: A course might have a beautiful, natural habitat between holes - like a marsh, native grasslands, or a protected animal nesting area - that they want to keep preserved. Instead of marking it as a red or yellow penalty area, they might define it as internal OB to completely forbid players from entering or playing from it.

How to Identify Internal Out of Bounds

Being an educated golfer is your best defense. A stroke-and-distance penalty can wreck a scorecard, so you should always know where internal OB is before you swing.

Look for the White Stakes: This one is simple. In golf, white stakes mean out of bounds. It doesn't matter if they're on the property line or between two holes - the color dictates the rule. The line for out of bounds is determined by the nearest inside points of the stakes at ground level. Your ball is OB if all of it is past that line.

Always Check the Local Rules: This should be a pre-round habit. The official "Local Rules" will always specify where internal OB is located. Read the back of the scorecard, check the an announcement board in the pro shop, or look at the course’s website. It will typically say something like, "Internal out of bounds is defined by white stakes to the right of hole #9 when playing hole #6."

Consult the Tee Signs: Many courses have a map of the hole on each tee box. These maps often illustrate where internal OB is located with a distinct line or symbol. A quick glance can save you a world of hurt.

The Ruling: What to Do If You Hit Your Ball into Internal OB

This is where many golfers get confused, but the rule is brutally simple. Internal out of bounds is treated exactly the same as regular out of bounds. There is only one option, and it's a painful one: stroke and distance.

Here’s the breakdown of the procedure under Rule 18.2b:

1. You must take a one-stroke penalty.
2. You must return to the spot where you just played your previous stroke to play your next shot. This is the "distance" part of the penalty.

Let's walk through a common scenario:

• You are on the tee of a par-4 and you are hitting your first shot. Your ball sails into an area of internal OB.
• Your first stroke is lost. You now add a penalty stroke.
• You must return to the teeing area to play your third stroke. (1st Stroke + 1 Penalty Stroke = 2. You are now playing shot number 3.)

Another example:

• You’ve hit a good drive. For your second shot, you're 150 yards out from the green and hit the ball into an internal OB area protecting the green.
• Your second stroke doesn't count. You add a one-stroke penalty.
• You must go back to that 150-yard spot in the fairway and play your fourth stroke from there. Bad miss.

Strategy: How to Navigate a Hole with Internal Out of Bounds

Knowing the rules is half the battle, the other half is playing smart to avoid the penalty in the first place. This is where good course management comes into play.

1. Be Aware Before you swing

Take a moment on the tee. Identify where the white stakes are. Understand the shape of the hole and why the OB is there. Is it on your typical miss side? For example, if you have a slice and the internal OB is down the entire right side, you need a different plan.

2. Choose the Smarter Club

This situation often demands that you leave the driver in the bag. If driver brings the white stakes into play, ask yourself if a 3-wood, hybrid, or even a longe iron would be better. Hitting your ball 220 yards into the middle of the fairway is tremendously better than hitting a 265-yard drive that ends up out of bounds.

3. Pick a Conservative Target Line

Aim well away from the trouble. If the internal OB is tight down the left side, don’t aim for the left-center of the fairway. Aim for the right-center or even the right rough. This gives you a huge margin for error. A poor shot might end up in the rough, but it wont be a lost ball requiring a re-tee.

4. Commit to the Shot

Fear is a swing-killer. Once you have a conservative plan you believe in, commit to it wholeheartedly. Don't stand over the ball thinking, “Don’t hit it left.” That’s a recipe for disaster. Instead, stand over the ball thinking "Hit it at that big oak tree on the right side of the fairway." A confident, committed swing on a conservative line is your best weapon against internal OB.

Final Thoughts

Internal out of bounds can feel like an unfair penalty, but once you understand it’s a necessary tool for player safety and course integrity, it becomes just another strategic challenge. Knowing the rule, identifying the OB before you swing, and creating a smart game plan to avoid the stakes will keep those devastating penalties off your scorecard.

Figuring out the smartest play on a hole fraught with danger like internal OB can be mentally taxing. Instead of guessing about a club or a target, Caddie AI simplifies these tough decisions. Our app can give you a clear, simple strategy for any hole on any course. Even for tricky lies or odd situations, you can describe what you’re facing and get an instant second opinion, helping you choose the smart shot that keeps you in play and your score low. It's about removing the guesswork so you can swing with complete confidence, knowing you've made the right decision.