How to Drop a Golf Ball: Knee Height and Relief Areas

Step by step

1. Find the reference point. Each rule gives you one: the nearest point of complete relief from a cart path, the point where your ball crossed into a penalty area, the spot of your unplayable ball, and so on.
2. Measure the relief area from that point: one or two club-lengths, depending on the rule (table below). It can’t be nearer the hole than the reference point, and some rules limit it to the same kind of area, such as the general area.
3. Drop from knee height. Stand however you like, hold the ball at the height of your knee, and let go so it falls straight down. Don’t throw, spin or roll it, and it mustn’t touch you or your equipment on the way down.
4. It must land in the relief area and stay in it. Where it ends up within the area doesn’t matter, even in a worse lie.

You can drop the same ball or another one.

When it rolls out

• First drop rolls out: drop again.
• Second drop rolls out: place a ball on the spot where the second drop first hit the ground.
• It won’t stay there: place it on that spot once more, and if it still rolls, place it on the nearest spot where it stays, no nearer the hole.

A ball dropped wrongly (thrown, from shoulder height, or landing outside the area) doesn’t count as one of your two drops. Do it again properly; if you play it, there’s a penalty.

How long is a club-length?

Your longest club other than the putter, usually the driver. Measure with that club.

Relief area	When
One club-length	Free relief from a cart path or other abnormal course condition, an embedded ball, dropping under stroke and distance, and the back-on-the-line options
Two club-lengths	Lateral relief from a red penalty area, and lateral relief for an unplayable ball

Where the old rules differ

If you learned golf before 2019, you dropped from shoulder height, and the ball could roll up to two club-lengths away. That’s gone. Knee height, and the ball stays in the relief area.