Free drops are compromising the integrity of professional golf tournaments. Dating back to the origins of the game, playing the ball as it lies is central to the experience of playing golf. Unless, of course, your ball finds a grandstand, concessions tent, sprinkler head, ShotLink apparatus, camera tower, etc.

As professional golf has matured and evolved, the logistics required to host and produce a golf tournament invariably create their own set of physical obstructions that sometimes prevent players from always playing the ball as it lies. But it is possible to reach a point where too much relief is being granted. We’ve reached it.

In 2024 alone, there have been a number of ridiculous instances in which players were granted free drops, escaping scot-free after hitting poor shots that would have led to a harsh penalty if not for the generosity of the rules.

Yesterday, most impactfully, Bobby MacIntyre received an eyebrow-raising free drop on the 70th hole of the Scottish Open after pulling a drive right of the fairway into an awful lie in the fescue. As part of his practice routine, he took a lash at the fescue to establish a feel for how the ball might come out. While doing so, he felt and/or heard a sprinkler head under his shoe. On-course reporter Dottie Pepper suggested that MacIntyre likely wouldn’t have even noticed the sprinkler head if not for the metal spikes on his shoes.

So MacIntyre called in a rules official who agreed that he was standing on a sprinkler head, and Bobby received a free drop out of danger and into a favorable location in the fescue. From there, he hit a 247-yard approach shot to six feet, made eagle, and went on to win the golf tournament by one stroke.

By MacIntyre’s own admission, he probably could have only advanced the ball about 100 yards from its original position in the fescue. But due to a sprinkler head buried in fescue grass that he could barely feel with his metal spike, Bobby went from jail to a fine position, a series of events that had a significant impact on the outcome of the tournament.

You can argue that the MacIntyre situation is just how golf goes. Sometimes you get a good break, sometimes you get a bad break. To be clear, Bobby MacIntyre didn’t do anything wrong. He took advantage of the rules in a way that the overwhelming majority of professional golfers would have in his situation. But at the end of the day, MacIntyre’s drop left a bad taste in the mouths of many who watched or competed in the tournament. Moving a ball from danger back to safety without consequence undermines the competitive integrity of a golf tournament, even if the actions taken are completely legal within the rules.

A massive overhaul of the rules of golf isn’t needed. But small and simple tweaks, either to the rulebook or to golf course setups, would improve the competitive product. As one X user suggested, maybe standing on a sprinkler head should only result in relief if the sprinkler head is located on short grass. When players are off the fairway, fringe, or green, no relief is granted. Figure it out. Hit the shot.

I’ll defer to the rules experts on the best solutions to prevent absurd relief from being granted in the future. But any changes that restore elements of consequence, danger, and the expectation of playing the ball as it lies would benefit the sport at the highest level.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.