I feel like the Rules of Golf get a bad rap.
Yes, there is some rules that need to be changed. Yes, there are some really weird rules that look fake. Yes, there can be a bit of frustration figuring out how to follow them all.
On the other hand, there are many times when knowing the Rules of Golf can absolutely save your ham.
These situations are rare, but the smart player knows when to push the right button to get the most out of the rules.
My favorite example when this comes into play:
Actually you can another easy shot from your original position if you are in the unenviable position of putting the ball off the green in a spot of concern.
This little-used rule can save you strokes
Golfers tend to think only of penalties as adding to their score.
What if taking can a penalty lower your score?
This is where getting a real lie comes into greater focus.
An immovable lie –which you can read more about here– is when you take a one-shot penalty to save yourself from trouble. Most of us think of it in terms of getting the ball stuck in a spot where your ball is, well, immovable.
A bush. Tree roots. Frankenstein’s fat leg. You know the deal.
However, the Rules of Golf clearly state that players have the right to take an unplayable lie in any situation.
“If you’re in a situation where you don’t want to or don’t think you can play your ball, you always have the option of getting relief under the unplayable ball rule.” according to the USGA. “You are the only person who can decide that your ball is unplayable, and this can be done anywhere on the golf course except when your ball lies in a penalty area. If your ball is in a penalty area, your only relief option is to take relief under the penalty area rule.”
So you can get an unplayable lie from anywhere on the course for a free kick. When you do, you have three options.
- Go back to the place of your previous shot and play again (stroke relief and distance).
- Go back as far as you like and line up from the hole through where the ball lies (back in line relief).
- Drop anywhere within two ball lengths of where the ball is, no closer to the hole (side relief).
You can use this rule to your advantage in a strange way
You might say to yourself, “Immediate lies are a common rule. MGS has covered this in the past. What is your purpose?”
I have two points to make here.
The first is that real lies are not used enough even in normal situations like the ones I listed above. Many golfers try risky maneuvers to get themselves out of harm’s way instead of taking a penalty shot and moving on.
However, my second point here is the purpose of this article.
Golfers should remember this each shot can be replayed for the cost of a free kick.
So let’s say you have a birdie putt on a tricky green and you hit the putt a little too hard. It goes into a bunker or comes off a false front, leaving you with a very difficult shot.
Conventional wisdom says that you should go after your ball and then hit it again.
But if your chances of putting the ball in are relatively low, the smartest move would be to replay the goal.
Yes, you can do that!
That’s what Phil Mickelson should have done during the 2018 US Open when he two-putted on the 13th hole.
Your bird shot has become a breeze – but you remove the risk of an even greater number.
Because what happens if you go to try that next shot and catch the false front again? Now you can carry your ball back and forth across the green.
Instead, you can replay the shot. And because you literally just had that shot, you’d think this next attempt would be much better than the original.
There are other scenarios beyond green where this can be used. If you’re in a relatively good position and hit a shot in a particularly terrible position—where you’ve probably gone backwards—you can save yourself a lot of pain by replaying the shot under the stroke and distance penalty.
Will this scenario happen a lot? No. Rarely ever.
But imagine pulling this kid during a game. What a power move.
Would you ever use this rule? Let me know below in the comments.
