I’ll never forget the first time I played Pinehurst No. 2.

It was within the first month of my hiring at GOLF.com, and I was sent to cover the USGA’s annual meeting at the Cradle of American Golf. One of the perks of this assignment: a round at the famed No. 2 course.

I was using rental clubs, but I managed to make par on the opening hole with relative ease. “This course isn’t so hard,” I thought. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Despite a tidy short game developed in my youth, I stood no chance against Donald Ross’ diabolical green complexes. I didn’t keep detailed stats that day, but if I had I’m sure it would’ve shown a career worst day with the flatstick. Such is life at Pinehurst No. 2.

One of the (many) blunders I made that day was a firmly struck putt that trundled past the pin and off the green into a bunker. What first looked like a solid birdie chance instead turned into an embarrassing scramble just to save double.

But turns out that walking back to my bag for sand wedge after putting off the green wasn’t necessarily necessary. In fact, if I’d known the rulebook a bit better, I not only could’ve saved face, but also shaved some strokes.

The video below from the USGA explains how.

How to put the stroke-and-distance rule to work

Putting off the green into a bunker is not only embarrassing, but it can also do a number on your score. If you’re anything like me, an up-and-down from the sand — especially at Pinehurst — is anything but guaranteed.

Enter the rulebook, which you use to your advantage in this situation.

According Rule 18.1 of the Rules of Golf, “at any time, a player may take stroke-and-distance relief by adding one penalty stroke and playing the original ball or another ball from where the previous stroke was made.” The key phrase here is at any time — and it includes when your ball is on the putting green.

In the situation outlined above, that means that instead of hitting your next shot from the bunker, you can opt to take stroke-and-distance relief for a one-stroke penalty and play your next stroke from where you hit your ill-fated putt.

For most recreational players out there, this option will be much preferred. Instead of scrambling to get up-and-down from the bunker — risking a poor shot that leaves the ball in the sand — they will be able to take the penalty stroke and hit their next shot from the putting surface.

Not only will it save you the embarrassment of walking back to the cart to grab a sand wedge, it’ll save you some strokes, too.

Judging by the comments on the video, which as of this writing has been viewed 2.4 million times, I wasn’t the only who was unaware of this crafty use of Rule 18.1.

“This cannot be real can it,” replied one commenter.

“So, basically a 1 stroke mulligan, anytime?!” wrote another.

Singer-songwriter Javier Colon, who won the first season of “The Voice,” also weighed in. “Wait… WHAT!!!?” Colon wrote. “So if I’m putting for birdie and it goes into the bunker I can take it out and putt for bogey from the same original spot!?! Is this real!?”

It’s real, Javier!

It says it right there in the rule book.

 Looking to bone up on the rules? Check out the USGA’s free Rules 101 course. 

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