What happens if the ball rolls back into the hazard after dropping?

The situation

You take penalty area relief, drop the ball near the edge of the water, and it rolls back into the hazard. Or you take bunker relief and the ball rolls back into the sand.

The rule

Under Rule 14.3c, if a correctly dropped ball rolls back into the area you were taking relief from (a penalty area, bunker, or even back onto a cart path), that counts as rolling outside the relief area. Re-drop once. If the second drop also rolls back in, place the ball at the spot where the second drop first touched the ground. If that spot is also inside the hazard, you must place the ball at the nearest point outside the hazard that is not nearer the hole. The process ensures you genuinely escape the condition you were taking relief from.

Real example

You take lateral relief from a red-staked pond. You drop two club lengths from the entry point and the ball rolls back into the water. Re-drop — it rolls in again. Place the ball at the spot on the ground where the second drop first landed. If that spot is inside the penalty area boundary, find the nearest point outside the hazard and place it there instead.

What to do on the course

• First drop rolls back in: re-drop
• Second drop rolls back in: place at the second drop's first contact point
• If that contact point is inside the hazard: move to the nearest point outside, not nearer the hole
• Keep a tee in the ground where the first contact of the second drop was — that's your placing spot

Penalty

No penalty for re-dropping or placing. The original penalty stroke (if any) for taking relief still applies.