Where can you drop a ball after taking relief?

For free relief you drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief; for lateral penalty-area relief you drop within two club-lengths of the reference point. In both cases the ball must land and stay in that relief area, not in a penalty area or on a green, and no closer to the hole. Measure with your longest club (usually driver).

The situation

You're entitled to relief — free or with a penalty — and you need to know exactly where you can drop the ball. Not all relief areas are the same size.

The rule

Under Rule 14.3, the relief area depends on which rule you're using. For free relief (immovable obstruction, casual water, GUR, embedded ball, wrong green): the relief area is 1 club length from the nearest point of complete relief (NPCR). For penalty area lateral relief (red stakes): 2 club lengths from the reference point. In all cases, the ball must: land in the relief area, come to rest in the relief area, not be in a penalty area, not be on a putting green, and not be nearer the hole than the reference point. The area is defined by your longest club (excluding putter) — most players use a driver.

Real example

Your ball is on a cart path (free relief). You find the NPCR — where your stance and swing are both clear of the path. You measure one driver-length from that point and mark the outer boundary. The drop zone is the arc between the NPCR and that outer mark, no closer to the hole. Drop anywhere in that area.

What to do on the course

• Use the longest club in your bag (usually driver) to measure the relief area
• The NPCR is the starting point — measure from there, never from the ball
• The relief area cannot include a penalty area or putting green — if the natural arc overlaps one, you adjust to exclude it
• The ball must stay in the same area of the course where the NPCR is (fairway stays fairway, rough stays rough)

Penalty

No penalty for free relief situations. 1-stroke penalty for penalty area lateral relief.

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 and 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

How far from the nearest point of complete relief can I drop for free relief?

You drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief, measured with your longest club (excluding putter). The ball must land and come to rest in that one-club-length area.

What's the drop area for lateral relief from a red penalty area?

For lateral relief from a red penalty area you drop within two club-lengths of the reference point where the ball last crossed the edge. The same stay-in-the-area and no-closer-to-the-hole rules apply.

Can the relief area include a penalty area or putting green?

No. The relief area cannot include any part of a penalty area or a putting green; if the natural arc overlaps one, you adjust the boundary to exclude it.

Do I measure from where my ball lies or from the nearest point of complete relief?

You always measure from the nearest point of complete relief (or the penalty-area reference point), never from the original ball position.

What happens if my dropped ball rolls out of the relief area?

If the ball comes to rest outside the relief area you must re-drop; if it happens again you place it where it first struck the ground on the second drop.