What happens if you drop the ball incorrectly?

The situation

You drop the ball from shoulder height instead of knee height, or you tossed it with a little spin, or dropped it from the right height but in the wrong spot. What happens if someone notices — or if you don't notice at all?

The rule

Under Rule 14.3b, an incorrect drop (wrong height, wrong person, wrong method) must be corrected by re-dropping before you play the ball. If you notice the mistake before playing, there is no penalty — just re-drop correctly. If you play the ball without correcting a wrong drop, you are considered to have played from a wrong place under Rule 14.7a: 1-stroke penalty in stroke play (2-stroke penalty if you dropped in the wrong relief area entirely and played from there). The key question is always whether the mistake was corrected before the next stroke.

Real example

You're taking free relief from a bunker overflow and accidentally drop from hip height. Your playing partner points it out before you play. No penalty — re-drop from knee height. But if nobody noticed and you played the shot: 1-stroke penalty for playing from a wrong place (add it to your score, no replay needed unless the error was serious).

What to do on the course

• If you notice a wrong drop before playing: re-drop immediately, no penalty
• If playing partners notice: same — re-drop, no penalty
• Only a penalty applies when you play from the wrongly dropped position
• In competition, you are responsible for your own procedure — other players cannot call you for a wrong drop after the fact if you've already played

Penalty

No penalty if corrected before playing. 1-stroke penalty if played from a wrong drop.