Your neighborhood golf course is still there in 2019, but there are different names for some of the areas on the course (the diagram above is right out of the Player's Edition of the Rules of Golf). Bunkers are still named bunkers, the teeing area is the same, as well as the putting green. However, the term hazard is no longer applicable. Instead, we have Penalty Areas. Penalty Areas include what used to be called Water Hazards, but can ALSO include areas on the course where balls could easily become lost or unplayable. These areas will be marked (HA! Probably not at Ruggles....) with either red or yellow stakes or lines (these are now called "Yellow" or "Red" Penalty Areas). There are also new areas called No Play Zones, which are areas which are not out-of-bounds but areas where you're not allowed to make a stroke from. These would include environmentally sensitive areas for instance. All areas designated in bounds except for the teeing ground, putting greens, penalty areas and bunkers are called the GENERAL AREA (the new term for "through the green").
Why this background? Because the new rule book is tailored to these areas of the course. If your ball in on the teeing ground or the putting green or in a bunker or in a penalty area or in a no-play zone, there are different rules that apply. For instance, Rule 6 covers the teeing ground, Rule 12 covers Bunkers, Rule 13 covers strokes on the Putting Green, Rule 17 covers play from a Penalty Area. Everything else in the book applies to play from the General Area.
Why the Red and Yellow Penalty Area Designations? Different Color, different Relief options apply. In the old days we had "regular" (marked with yellow stakes) and "lateral" (marked with red stakes) hazards. The new Yellow Penalty Area relief options are the good ole three that we had previously (play the ball as it lies in the penalty area, drop on a line formed by the flagstick and where your ball last crossed the penalty area, or replay the previous stroke from where you played it (each (except for the "play as it lies option") with a one-stroke penalty). However, the Red Penalty Area options (akin to the Lateral Hazard relief options) have been reduced from 5 to 4 under the new rules. You may 1) play the ball as it lies in the penalty area (no penalty stroke), 2) replay from your previous location, 3) drop within two club lengths from the point where your ball crossed into the penalty area, or 4) draw that imaginary line from the flagstick through the point where your ball crossed into the penalty area and drop on that line as far back as you like. Red Penalty Area options 2 through 4 would incur a one-stroke penalty.
(I heard a rumor this week that Ruggles is considering making ALL of the high grass areas on the course Red Penalty Areas. Snap a drive on number 1 left into the hay and for the price of 1 stroke you could drop a ball in the rough where you estimated it last crossed into the hay. Could speed up play quite a bit - in previous years we would have to find the ball in the hay or go back and replay the shot. Stay tuned!)
Out-of-bounds is still out-of-bounds. The only official option there is to return to where you struck your last shot, drop another ball (or re-tee if you're on the teeing ground) and play another shot with a one-stroke penalty.
Losing a ball or even hitting a ball out-of-bounds MIGHT gain you a new option under the new rules, but that would require establishing a local rule. I don't want to go into that now - Ruggles and REGL may not establish one, and I don't want to further muddy the waters at this point. I'll just tease you in saying that for the price of two penalty strokes, you might be able to get out of a lot of trouble.