What happens if the ball rolls after dropping it?

The situation

You drop the ball correctly from knee height, it lands in the relief area, but then rolls several feet and ends up outside the relief area boundary. Do you have to drop again?

The rule

Under Rule 14.3c, if the ball rolls outside the relief area after a correct drop, you must re-drop. Drop a second time. If the ball rolls out of the relief area a second time, you do not drop again — instead, you place the ball at the spot where it first touched the ground on that second drop. The ball is placed at that exact point and played from there, even if that point is at the very edge of the relief area. If you place it and it won't stay, you place it at the nearest spot within one club length where it will stay.

Real example

You're taking free relief from a cart path. First drop lands in the relief area but rolls out. Re-drop — it rolls out again. Place the ball at the spot where your second drop first hit the ground. If that spot is at the edge of the fairway, that's where you play from.

What to do on the course

• First drop rolls out: re-drop once
• Second drop rolls out: place the ball at the spot the second drop first landed
• If you can't determine exactly where the second drop first touched, estimate as accurately as possible
• After placing, if the ball won't stay still at that point, place it at the nearest spot within one club length where it will remain at rest

Penalty

No penalty for re-dropping or placing after a ball that rolls out of the relief area.