Stroke and Distance: The underrated golf rule that could save you shots (and time) on the course

Losing a ball out on the course is, if you ask most golfers, probably the most frustrating single thing that can happen to you in your round.

A ball hit lost or out of bounds can happen in a number of ways depending on the type of course you play, but by far the most lost balls come off the tee, with errant driver shots all too often leading to that tragic ritual of reloading and trying again (or shamelessly asking for a mulligan).

There are, of course, a number of ways to address a tee shot that looks gone as soon as it leaves the driver face. Traditional practice has always been to hit a provisional, count it as your third shot and move on. However a local rule known as Stroke and Distance, introduced by the USGA back in 2019, provides a far simpler option for most golfers in general play – which is interesting as a lot of amateurs still seem not to know about it.

Here, then, is a very brief explainer on what you need to know – and why working the rule into your casual rounds as much as possible could save you serious time out on the course.

What is the stroke and distance local rule?

Effectively, the stroke and distance rule is designed to take the guesswork and gambling out of knowing whether your tee shot is in-play or not, giving you the option to take a drop in a convenient location rather than having to play a provisional or, worse, go back to the tee and hit your tee shot again. 

In practice it essentially goes as thus, as specified by USGA on its website:

A Committee may introduce such a Local Rule for all play on the course or only for one or two specific holes where it may be especially useful (for example, where players are unable to see the landing area and therefore may not know whether or not to play a provisional ball).

This option allows the player to drop in a large area between the point where the ball is estimated to have come to rest or gone out of bounds and the edge of the fairway of the hole being played that is not nearer the hole.

The player gets two penalty strokes when using this relief option. This means that the relief is comparable to what could have been achieved if the player had taken stroke-and-distance relief.

While that might read as a bit of a word salad, it effectively works thus: if you lose your ball on a shot, for a two-stroke penalty you can drop the ball no nearer to the hole in an area between the point your ball was lost (or went out of bounds) and the nearest edge of the fairway. 

Still confused? Thankfully, the USGA has a very nifty graphic to help you figure it out...

As well as this video.

You don't need us to tell you this could end up being a serious time (and shot) saver out on the course, so it's always worth checking with the pro shop at the course you're playing to see if local stroke and distance rules apply.

What if the local rule isn't in effect?

Strictly speaking, if golf's standard rules are in effect and the above rule hasn't been put in play by the course's rules committee, standard stroke and distance rules apply. That means you'll have to continue playing provisionals if you're having a particularly bad round with the driver.

It's worth mentioning, too, that it's very unlikely you'll ever see this local rule in play when competitions or handicaps are at stake. If you're playing tournament golf, stroke and distance will invariably apply as it always has.

We emphasise the word strictly, however, and while it's not in the official rules of the game, it's not unheard of for casual golfers to apply something akin to this local rule in their general rounds to speed up the pace of play if everyone in your playing group agrees to it. 

If this something you personally opt to do, then hey. We won't tell.