How do you drop a golf ball correctly?

You drop the ball from knee height, straight down with no spin, and it must land and stay in the relief area — if it rolls out twice you place it where the second drop first touched the ground (Rule 14.3b). Playing a ball dropped incorrectly costs one stroke if you don't fix it first.

The situation

You're taking relief — from a cart path, casual water, or a penalty area — and need to drop the ball. Dropping is the final step in many of the most common golf situations you'll face on the course. The 2019 rules changed how drops work. Here is the current procedure.

The rule

Under Rule 14.3b, you must drop the ball from knee height, letting it fall straight down without throwing, spinning, or rolling it. It must be dropped by you or your caddie, not by anyone else. The ball must then land in the relief area and come to rest in the relief area. If it lands outside the relief area on the way down, that's a wrong drop — re-drop. If it lands inside but rolls out before stopping, re-drop. After two correct drops that both roll outside the relief area, you place the ball at the spot where the second drop first touched the ground. Any error in height, method, or the person performing the drop is treated as an incorrect drop under Rule 14.3, which carries a one-stroke penalty if you play the ball before correcting it.

Real example

You're taking free relief from a sprinkler head. You identify the nearest point of complete relief, measure one club length, and hold the ball at knee height directly above a spot in the relief area. You let it fall straight down. It lands in the area and stays — you're good. If it rolls out, drop again. If it rolls out a second time, place it where it first hit the ground on that second drop.

What to do on the course

• Hold the ball at knee height — roughly level with your knee when standing upright
• Release it straight down, no arc, no spin
• If the first drop fails (lands outside or rolls out), re-drop immediately
• After two failed drops, place the ball — don't keep dropping

Penalty

No penalty for re-dropping. 1-stroke penalty if you play from a ball dropped from the wrong height or method and the mistake is not corrected.

Exceptions that change the answer

• the estimated spot of the ball is in a penalty area → the player is not required to take relief under this Rule, but may directly take relief from the penalty area under Rule 17.1d
• the ball would have come to rest on the putting green → the player must place the original ball or another ball on the estimated spot where the ball would have come to rest
• the ball would have come to rest out of bounds → the player must take stroke-and-distance relief under Rule 18.2
• the dropped ball is deliberately deflected or stopped by any person before it comes to rest → see Rule 14.3d for what to do
• the ball comes to rest outside the relief area after being dropped in the right way → the player must drop a ball in the right way a second time

Frequently asked questions

What height do I drop from?

You drop from knee height — roughly level with your knee when standing upright (Rule 14.3b).

Can my caddie drop for me?

Yes, either you or your caddie may drop the ball; nobody else is allowed to do it.

What if the ball lands in the relief area but rolls out?

Re-drop immediately; if the second drop also rolls out, you place the ball at the spot where that second drop first hit the ground.

Is there a penalty for a bad drop?

No penalty for re-dropping, but if you play a ball dropped from the wrong height or method without correcting it, you get a one-stroke penalty.

Do I have to drop straight down or can I toss it?

You must let the ball fall straight down — no throwing, spinning, or rolling it (Rule 14.3b).