When do you get a free drop in golf?
A · Advanced · Free relief and dropping the ball · 3 of 9Four things give free relief: ground under repair, temporary water, animal holes and immovable obstructions such as paths and sprinkler heads. If one interferes with the ball, the stance or the swing, the player may drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief, not nearer the hole.
How it works
The Rules call these four abnormal course conditions:
| Condition | What it is |
|---|---|
| Ground under repair | Ground the Committee marks, plus holes dug by the greenkeepers and cuttings piled for removal |
| Temporary water | A puddle that can be seen before or after the player takes a stance. Soft or muddy ground is not enough, and nor are dew and frost |
| Animal hole | A hole dug by an animal, with the loose soil and the track into it. Not holes made by worms or insects |
| Immovable obstruction | An artificial object that cannot easily be moved: a road or path, a building, a sprinkler head, a fixed bench |
- Interference means the ball touches or lies in the condition, or the condition is in the way of the stance or the swing. Being in the line of the shot counts only when the ball is on the putting green.
- The nearest point of complete relief is the nearest spot, not nearer the hole, where the condition no longer interferes with the stroke the player would have played. It is the nearest point, which need not be a good one.
- In the general area: drop within one club-length of that point.
- In a bunker: free relief inside the bunker. Or, for one penalty stroke, back on the line outside it.
- On the putting green: place the ball at the nearest point of relief.
- In a penalty area: no free relief from these.
- No relief if the shot is impossible anyway for another reason, such as the ball being deep in a bush, or if the interference exists only because of an unreasonable choice of stance or club.
- A ball not found but known or virtually certain to be in one of these conditions gets the same free relief.
No free relief is given from boundary fences and stakes, or from objects the Committee declares integral to the course.
Tricky cases
The ball is on grass but the player would have to stand on a cart path. Is there relief?
Yes. Interference with the stance counts.
A sprinkler head is on the player's line, between the ball and the hole, with the ball off the green. Is there relief?
No. Something on the line of play gives relief only when the ball is on the putting green.
Does the player have to take the relief?
No. It is an option, except for a no play zone or the green of another hole, where relief must be taken.
Why the rule exists
The Rules say these conditions "are not treated as part of the challenge of playing the course". A puddle or a path is an accident of maintenance, not a hazard the designer set.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rules of Golf | As above | G 16.1 |
| Dangerous animals, such as snakes or bees near the ball | Free relief anywhere, even in a penalty area | G 16.2 |
| A Committee using a Local Rule | Relief may be denied where only the stance is affected | G 16.1a (note) |
From the rule book
The R&A and USGA Rules of Golf, Rules 2.3, 16.1 and 16.2, and the Definitions of abnormal course condition, animal hole, ground under repair, immovable obstruction, nearest point of complete relief and temporary water. Effective January 2023. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules of Golf (PDF).