Okay let me tell ya about this mess I got into on the course today. Was playing my usual round, feeling pretty good, you know? Then my stupid ball lands right behind this giant electrical box thing. Couldn’t swing, couldn’t do squat. Figured, “No biggie, I’ll take relief.”
The Mess Up Part
So I just grabbed my ball and walked like three steps left, closer to the green. Thought I was being smart. Dropped it, whacked it onto the green. My buddy Mike just stared at me. “Dude,” he says, “you just took a wrong drop. That’s probably two strokes.” My stomach sank. Seriously? For moving a ball? Yeah, apparently.
He pulled out the rule book – okay, fine, his phone app – and showed me the part. Rule 16.1 or whatever. You gotta do relief exactly right or they hammer you. Two strokes. Brutal.
How I Fixed It (The Next Hole)
Funny enough, three holes later, I sliced hard right into this nasty drainage ditch with standing water. Relief situation AGAIN. But this time? Nope, not messing it up. Here’s what I did step by step:
- Stomped my foot right where my ball last crossed into the hazard. Left a cleat mark so I wouldn’t forget.
- Measured one club length sideways away from the hole – not closer. Used my driver cause it’s longest.
- Dropped from knee height, not shoulder. Let it plop down without tossing it.
- Watched it bounce twice before settling. Didn’t roll closer to the hole. Lucked out there.
Took my shot. Par save. Felt like winning the dang lottery.
The Big Takeaway
Don’t be lazy like me earlier. Golf rules about relief are stupidly specific, and they will punish you if you wing it. Key things burned into my brain now:
- Find your exact reference point first. Mark it with a tee if you gotta.
- Measure your club length sideways properly. No eyeballing!
- Drop from knee height. Not waist, not chest. KNEE.
- Pray it doesn’t roll away weird.
Saved myself two penalty strokes just by actually reading the dang book between holes. Won’t make that mistake twice. Play stupid games, win stupid penalties.
