What Is Back on the Line Relief in Golf?

Your drive sails a little offline and comes to rest in a terrible spot––nestled under the low-hanging branches of a pine tree, with no clear path forward. Your first thought might be to simply chip it out sideways, but what if there's a better way to escape the trouble? The Rules of Golf often provide a strategic lifeline, and one of the most powerful is back-on-the-line relief. This article will break down exactly what this relief option is, the situations where you can use it, and how to execute it perfectly on the course to turn a potential disaster into a manageable recovery.

What Exactly Is Back-on-the-Line Relief?

Back-on-the-line relief is a procedure that lets you get your ball out of a difficult situation by dropping it on a straight line that goes backward from the hole through the spot of your original ball. You can go back as far as you want on that line. The key benefit is that it often lets you find a better lie, gain a clearer angle to the green, or get out from behind an obstacle, all for a one-stroke penalty.

Think of it as drawing a straight line from the flagstick, through your ball's current location, and extending it backward indefinitely across the fairway, rough, or wherever it lies. This procedure gives you the freedom to choose your new spot anywhere along that line, which can be a huge strategic advantage compared to other relief options that limit where you can drop.

When You Can Use This Rule: The Two Main Scenarios

This isn't a free-for-all option you can use anytime you don't like your lie. Back-on-the-line relief is typically available in two specific situations, both of which come with a one-stroke penalty. It's a way to get out of serious trouble, not just fix a minor inconvenience.

Your Ball is Unplayable (Rule 19)

As a golfer, you have the sole right to declare your ball unplayable anywhere on the course, except when it's in a penalty area. You are the judge. If your ball is in a bush, against a tree root, or in a deep, footprinted bunker, you can simply declare it unplayable.

Under Rule 19, you have three relief options, each with a one-stroke penalty:

• Stroke and Distance: Go back and play again from where you hit your last shot.
• Lateral Relief: Drop a ball within two club-lengths of your ball’s spot, no nearer the hole.
• Back-on-the-Line Relief: The focus of our article!

Having these options is great, and understanding when to use back-on-the-line relief can be a game-changer for your course management.

Your Ball is in a Penalty Area (Rule 17)

When your ball ends up in a red or yellow penalty area (like a pond, creek, or marked ditch), you also have several relief options that cost you one penalty stroke. Back-on-the-line relief is a standard option for both red and yellow penalty areas.

For a yellow penalty area, your only options (besides playing it as it lies) are stroke and distance or back-on-the-line relief. For a red penalty area, you get those same two options plus the two-club-length lateral relief option.

Knowing this rule means that if your ball just barely crosses into a pond directly in front of the green, you can use back-on-the-line relief to go back as far as you need to hit a full, comfortable wedge shot instead of being stuck with an awkward pitch just over the water.

The Step-by-Step Process for Taking Relief

Applying the rule correctly is just as important as knowing when to use it. A wrong procedure could lead to an additional penalty. Here's a simple, step-by-step guide to follow on the course.

1. Announce Your Intention &, Add the Penalty:Verbally declare that you are taking unplayable ball relief or penalty area relief. It's good practice to inform your playing partners. Don't forget to add the one-stroke penalty to your score for the hole.
2. Identify Your Reference Points (The Hole and The Ball): The entire procedure hinges on two spots. The first is the hole (the flagstick). The second is the reference point on the ground.
   • For an unplayable ball, this reference point is simply the spot where your ball lies.
   • For a penalty area, it's the estimated point where your ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area.
3. Imagine Your "Line": Create a mental line starting at the hole, passing directly through your reference point, and extending straight backward. You can go back as far as you see fit along this imaginary line. This is your relief 'highway'.
4. Choose a Spot on That Line: Walk backward along your line and pick a spot that gives you the best lie or angle for your next shot. This can be ten feet back, or it can be thirty yards back. The choice is yours. Once you’ve selected this spot on the line, place a tee or ball marker down to mark it.
5. Determine Your Relief Area (very important!):This is where many golfers make a mistake. You do not drop the ball directly on the line. From the spot you selected, you have a one club-length relief area. You can measure this one club-length in any direction from your chosen spot - sideways, or even further back - as long as your relief area is no nearer the hole than your chosen spot. This gives you a semi-circle-like area to drop in. It's often smart to choose the flattest ground available within this one-club-length zone.
6. Drop the Ball Correctly: Once you've identified your relief area, stand tall and drop a ball from knee height. The ball must land in and come to rest in your relief area. If it rolls outside the relief area, you re-drop. If it rolls out again, you place it where it first touched the ground on the second drop.

With the shot completed, you are back in play and ready to hit your next shot.

The Golfer's Dilemma: When is Back-on-the-Line Your Best Play?

So you have options, but how do you know which one is the smart play? Choosing back-on-the-line relief is a strategic decision that separates good course managers from average ones.

Let's paint a picture. Your ball is 120 yards from the green but resting in a miserable unplayable spot just behind a towering oak tree that is directly between you and the pin. What are your options?

• Lateral R​​elief: You could take two club-lengths to the side. But if you do that, you're still stuck behind the tree. You haven't improved your angle, only your lie.
• Stroke and Distance: You could go back to the tee and hit your third shot. This is often a poor choice unless your original spot is equally as bad as being out-of-bounds.
• Back-on-the-Line Relief: Here’s where the magic happens. By going backward on the line that extends from the hole through your ball, you can move away from the tree. You might walk back 20 yards to where you have a completely clear view of the green from 140 yards. Yes, you are further away, but you now have a real chance to hit the green in regulation. You have traded a short-distance, impossible shot for a longer-distance, possible shot. This is almost always the right strategic trade.

Think of it as choosing the shot that gives you the highest probability of success. Use back-on-the-line relief to:

• Get a full, uninhibited swing.
• Give yourself a a clear line of play to the target, unobstructed by trees, bushes, or other hazards.
• Get a "full-shot" distance (like 100 yards) instead of a tricky, in-between yardage.
• escape a difficult bunker lip or steep bank around a green.

Avoiding Common Mistakes: Pitfalls to Watch Out For

This rule is incredibly helpful, but easy to mess up if you aren't careful. Here are the most common errors I see golfers make:

• Dropping the ball directly on the line. Remember, the line is a guide. You must drop your ball into a one-club-length relief area that you create *based* on a spot you select on that line.
• Measuring the club-length nearer the hole. Your relief area cannot be any closer to the pin than the spot you chose on the line. Always measure sideways or backward, never forward.
• Forgetting the penalty. This is never free relief. Always remember to add one penalty stroke to your score.
• Incorrectly estimating the point of entry. When dealing with a penalty area, guessing where the ball last crossed the margin can be tough. Be honest and fair in your estimation. When in doubt, confer with your playing partners for a consensus.
• Dropping from the wrong height. The Rues were updated in 2019. The drop must now be from knee height, not from the shoulder as it was previously.

Final Thoughts

Back-on-the-line relief is far more than just a rule to memorize, it's a strategic tool for smart golf. By understanding how to move backward on a line extending from the hole through your ball, you can escape almost any obstacle and give yourself a chance to make a confident swing and save your score.

Of course, remembering every nuance of the Rules of Golf while you're standing on the course troubleshooting a bad shot can be stressful. To remove that guesswork and feel sure about your decisions, our app Caddie AI is designed to give you instant clarification. You can ask any rules question anytime, right on the course, and you can even snap a photo of a difficult lie to get expert advice on how to play the shot. This instantly boosts your confidence, helping you make smarter, more informed choices without slowing down play.