How do you drop a golf ball correctly?
I · Intermediate · Free relief and dropping the ball · 13 of 16To take relief a player drops a ball from knee height so that it falls straight down, lands in the relief area and stays there. If it rolls out, the player drops again. If it rolls out a second time, the ball is placed where the second drop first hit the ground.
How it works
The drop:
- Only the player may drop the ball, not the caddie.
- It is let go from the height of the player's knee when standing, without being thrown, spun or rolled.
- It must not touch the player or the player's equipment before it hits the ground. If it does so by accident after landing, that does not matter.
- Any ball may be used.
The relief area:
- Each relief Rule gives a reference point, a size of one or two club-lengths from it, and limits: not nearer the hole, and in a named area of the course.
- A club-length is the length of the longest club the player is carrying, other than the putter.
- The ball must land in the relief area and come to rest in it. The player may stand outside it.
- Back-on-the-line relief works differently: the ball is dropped on the line, and the relief area is one club-length in any direction from where it first touches the ground.
When it goes wrong:
- Dropped in a wrong way, for example from shoulder height or outside the area: drop again. There is no limit and no penalty, as long as it is corrected before the ball is played.
- Dropped correctly but rolls out: drop a second time. If that rolls out too, place a ball on the spot where the second drop first landed. If it will not stay there after two tries, place it on the nearest spot where it will.
- Playing a ball that was dropped in a wrong way costs one penalty stroke if it was played from inside the relief area, and the general penalty if from outside it.
Tricky cases
Does the ball have to be dropped from shoulder height?
No. It is knee height. A drop from the shoulder is a wrong way of dropping and has to be done again.
The ball landed in the relief area, rolled against the player's foot and stopped inside the area. Does it need dropping again?
No. Touching the player by accident after it has hit the ground does not matter. The ball is in play.
Which club is used to measure a club-length?
The longest club the player has in the bag for that round, except the putter. For most players that is the driver.
Why the rule exists
A drop puts chance back into a ball the player has been allowed to move. The low height keeps the ball inside a small area, so it does not have to be dropped again and again.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rules of Golf | As above | G 14.3; G 14.5 |
| Putting green | A ball is placed, not dropped | G 14.6c; G 16.1d |
| Players with certain disabilities | Another person may be authorised to drop the ball | G 25.2h; G 25.3c; G 25.4a |
From the rule book
The R&A and USGA Rules of Golf, Rules 14.3 and 14.5, and the Definitions of club-length, drop and relief area. Effective January 2023. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules of Golf (PDF).