How to Play the '24-Second Clock' Game

"24-Second Clock" is the name of a game that, several times in a round, gives a golfer who hits a poor shot the opportunity to replay that shot without penalty. The catch? They have to retrieve their original shot, place it back where it was, and play the new stroke all within 24 seconds.

An actual 24-second clock (a timer that counts down from 24 seconds to zero) is used in NBA basketball games. That's where the name comes from. But this golf version of 24-Second Clock works like this:

• Three (3) times per round, a golfer playing 24-Second Clock has the right to replay a stroke without penalty.
• But to do so, the golfer must retrieve the golf ball, replace it in its original position, and replay the stroke all within 24 seconds.
• Putts do not count — you cannot replay a putt, but any other stroke can be replayed in 24-Second Clock if you can do so within the time limit.

Is 24 seconds enough time to retrieve a ball, replace it, and replay it? For a lot of shots, no. Not even the world's fastest sprinters could go get a ball 150 yards up the hole, get it back to the original spot and replay it. So bad shots where the golf ball hasn't advanced very far at all are the ones most likely to be replayed in 24-Second Clock.

Of course, most of us are way, way slower than sprinters. Many of us are woefully out of shape, and trying to run any distance might leave us out of breath. Chi Chi Rodriguez (or rather his co-author) once wrote about this game:

"Seems fun and simple enough, but by the time a player sprints to track down her errant shot and gets it back in the exact spot where she hit it to begin with, fatigue and a time crunch can often produce an even worse shot."

You only have three do-overs in this game, so you better not waste one trying to retrieve a ball that travelled much distance. What types of shots should you consider replaying? Whiffs, badly topped balls and very short pop-ups are candidates. Misplayed pitches, chips and bunker shots are more good options.

24-Second Clock is a good option to package with many other types of side games and side wagers during a round played by a group of golf buddies. The 24-second countdown starts as soon as a golfer announces they are replaying the stroke (which they must do before leaving the spot of the original stroke). Groups playing the game can use a watch or even bring a stopwatch, or the other group members can count down out loud (but not too loud — be aware of other groups on the course) while the golfer trying to replay a stroke scrambles to complete the challenge.

Related articles:

• Mulligan and Recall explained
• How to play Criers and Whiners
• How the Oozles and Foozles game works

Sources:
Rodriguez, Chi Chi, and Anderson, John. Chi Chi's Golf Games You Gotta Play, 2003, Human Kinetics
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