Rules and How to Use Them

During The Players Championship, JJ Spaun, who lost in a playoff, created a stir in the golf world regarding a ruling he received. Spaun showed he understood the rules and took full advantage of the opportunity. His knowledge proved the rules can actually benefit a golfer if they understand them.

What happened?

Let’s take a look.

Spaun held the lead on Sunday but started leaking oil early in the round. With bogeys at the 5th and 8th, he fell out of the lead. On the par-5 9th, he hit a horrendous approach shot which found heavy rough. As he surveyed his lie, he realized there was a sprinkler head impeding his stance. Under Rule 16.1a, Spaun was entitled to a free drop.

As you can see from the photo above, that rough is thick and nasty.

So, far, everything is normal.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

As he prepared to drop from the initial sprinkler head, Spaun noticed there was a second sprinkler head within his area of relief. Knowing he could get relief from the second sprinkler head, Spaun dropped his ball there.

Once again, he gained relief. His new drop area stretched to the fairway.

Spaun dropped in the fairway, hit his third on the green and made birdie. He was back in the hunt.

Many golf fans were upset with what took place. It wasn’t that Spaun had gotten a second drop. It was that he was allowed to drop in the fairway. They felt he should have been required to drop in the rough.

But Spaun followed the rules perfectly. Rule 16.1a calls for free relief in the general area within one club length from the nearest point of relief. There is no provision in the rule which requires the ball to be dropped in the same conditions meaning the ball must be dropped in the rough if it was originally in the rough. The only provision is one club length from the nearest point of relief. If the fairway falls within the one club length drop area, then the ball can be dropped in the fairway.

It may sound strange to some, but the rules are actually in place to help the golfer. In Spaun’s case, the rules enabled him to get his ball from the heavy rough to the fairway legally. Knowing the rules took a situation where bogey was a definite possibility to a birdie opportunity.

While the Rules of Golf are numerous, understanding them and how they can benefit you as a golfer is important. Knowing what entitles a golfer to relief and how to correctly drop can turn a bad situation into a good one. Just ask JJ Spaun.

As always, the grateful when you play. Be thankful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!