Golf Glossary
Dropping the Ball (Drop)
In short
Dropping means letting a ball fall to get back into play after taking relief. You release the ball from knee height so that it falls straight down, without spin and without touching you or your equipment. It must come to rest in a relief area that is usually one or two club-lengths in size.
What does dropping mean in golf?
Dropping is the technical term for letting a ball fall after taking relief. You need the drop when you do not want to, or are not allowed to, play your ball where it lies. That is the case, for example, with ground under repair, a penalty area or an unplayable ball.
A drop is not just throwing the ball down anywhere. It follows a fixed procedure described in Rule 14.3 of the Rules of Golf. It makes sure that the new ball position arises by chance and fairly, not at your choice. You may not place the ball on a favourable spot. You have to let it fall and accept where it comes to rest.
The drop applies only to relief away from the putting green. On the green the ball is placed instead of dropped. A lifted ball that belongs back on its original spot is replaced, not dropped either.
How to drop correctly
Since 2019 a simplified procedure has applied. The main points:
- You drop the ball yourself. Your caddie or a playing partner may not do it for you.
- You drop from knee height. That means the height of your knee when standing. You do not have to be standing when you release it.
- The ball falls straight down. You must not throw, spin or roll it.
- The ball must not touch your body or equipment before it hits the ground.
- The ball must land in the correct relief area.
Before 2019 the height was shoulder height. The lower height is meant to simplify the procedure.
When you take relief you may use the original ball or another ball. It helps to mark the position of the ball with a tee before lifting it. Your club is enough to measure the area.
The relief area and club-lengths
Where may the ball land? The relief area decides. It is measured from a reference point. Usually that is the nearest point of complete relief or the point where the ball last crossed the edge of a penalty area.
The size of the area is measured in club-lengths. A club-length is the length of the longest club in your bag other than the putter. For most golfers that is the driver. As a rule of thumb it measures roughly 1.10 to 1.20 metres.
- One club-length applies to most free relief, for example from ground under repair.
- Two club-lengths apply to lateral relief, for example from a red penalty area or for an unplayable ball.
The relief area must never be nearer the hole than the reference point. For back-on-the-line relief you drop on the line from the flagstick through the reference point. Since 2023 the ball must then come to rest within one club-length of where it landed on the line. Some courses also have a drop zone. That is a marked area which the Local Rules declare to be the relief area.
The second drop and placing
The ball must come to rest in the relief area. If it rolls out, you drop a second time. That is known as a re-drop. But note: this applies only if you dropped correctly the first time.
If the ball also rolls out of the relief area on the second drop, you place it. You put it on the spot where the second drop first touched the ground. That spot always lies in the relief area, because every correct drop must land there. You play on from there.
If a correctly dropped ball accidentally touches you or your equipment after hitting the ground, there is no penalty. If it comes to rest in the relief area, you play it. If someone deliberately deflected or stopped the ball, you drop again.
Important: any drop that does not follow the requirements counts as a wrong drop, for example from hip height. Then you may drop again as often as needed until it is right. There is no limit.
A practical example: lateral relief at a pond
You are playing a par-4 hole. Your tee shot, stroke 1, flies into a pond marked with red stakes. You choose lateral relief.
You find the point where the ball last crossed the edge of the pond. From there you measure two club-lengths with your driver, which as a rule of thumb is roughly 2.20 to 2.40 metres. The area must lie outside the pond and be no nearer the flagstick than that point.
You take a ball, stand upright and drop it from knee height. It lands in the area and stays there. The drop is valid. You have taken one penalty stroke, which counts as stroke 2. Your next stroke from the relief area is stroke 3. If you reach the green with it and two-putt, you write down five, a bogey.
Common mistakes when dropping
The same mistakes come up again and again when dropping:
- Dropping from the wrong height: the ball must fall from knee height, not from shoulder or hip height and not from just above the ground.
- Throwing or spinning: the ball should simply be released.
- Ball touches you: if the ball brushes your body or bag before hitting the ground, it is a wrong drop.
- Wrong area: if you play a ball that lies outside the relief area, you get two penalty strokes.
- Nearer the hole: the ball must not come to rest nearer the hole than the reference point.
- Measuring from the wrong place: the club-length is measured from the reference point, not from the old lie.
One tip: use a tee or ball marker to mark the edge of the relief area before dropping. That way you see straight away whether the ball is in the area. If in doubt, ask your playing partners for their view.
Dropping, placing and replacing compared
There are three ways in golf to put a ball back into play.
When dropping, you let the ball fall from knee height. That happens with relief on the course, for example from ground under repair or after an unplayable ball.
When placing, you put the ball on a specific spot yourself. That applies on the putting green or after two failed drops in the relief area.
When replacing, you put a lifted or moved ball back on its original spot. That is the case, for example, after marking on the putting green.
Anyone who mixes up these three procedures risks penalty strokes. In the Platzreife course you get to know the differences with examples.
Try it at Golf Lounge
You learn how to drop correctly when taking relief on the Platzreife course at Golf Lounge Resort Hamburg. The theory part covers rules, etiquette and safety on the course and is linked with practice, guided by PGA coaches. As a rule there are four to five training sessions of two hours. The exam takes place every Saturday on site in Moorfleet. Afterwards you can practise on the 9-hole Black course with its water hazards.
Frequently asked questions
How do you drop correctly in golf?
You drop the ball yourself from knee height so that it falls straight down, without throwing or spinning it. It must not touch your body or equipment before it reaches the ground. It has to land in the relief area and come to rest there. Otherwise you drop again.
How big is the relief area when dropping?
Usually one club-length, and two club-lengths for lateral relief. It is measured from the reference point, such as the nearest point of complete relief. A club-length is the length of the longest club in the bag other than the putter. The area must not be nearer the hole than the reference point.
What happens if the dropped ball rolls away?
If it rolls out of the relief area, you drop a second time. If it rolls out again, you place it on the spot where the second drop first touched the ground. You play on from there. That applies only if you dropped correctly beforehand.
From what height do you drop in golf?
From knee height. That means the height of your knee when standing. Until 2018 the drop was from shoulder height, and since 2019 it is knee height. You do not have to be standing at release, but the ball must fall straight down and must not be given spin.
Is there a penalty for a wrong drop?
A wrong drop costs nothing as long as you have not played yet. You simply drop again. If you play the ball after a wrong drop, you get one penalty stroke if it lies in the relief area. If it lies outside, you receive the general penalty of two strokes.
As of: October 2026