How to Properly Take a Drop in Golf

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Quick Answer: What is a Drop in Golf?

• A drop in golf is the procedure for restarting play when your ball is unplayable or in a penalty situation.
• It involves dropping your ball within a specific relief area, following strict rules.
• Getting your drop right is key to avoiding extra strokes.

Who This is For

• Beginner golfers who are new to the game and the intricacies of golf rules, especially concerning relief situations.
• Intermediate golfers looking to solidify their understanding of the Rules of Golf and ensure they are always taking proper drops to avoid penalties.
• Any golfer who has found themselves in a precarious spot on the course – be it a water hazard, thick rough, or simply an unplayable lie – and needs a clear guide on how to proceed.

What to Check First for Your Golf Drop

• Consult the Rules of Golf: Seriously, pull out that little booklet or check the official R&A/USGA app. It’s the ultimate authority and will clarify any specific relief options for your situation. I keep a copy in my golf bag at all times.
• Identify the Rule: Pinpoint exactly why you need to take a drop. Is it an unplayable ball (Rule 19)? A penalty area like a water hazard (Rule 17)? A temporary water condition (Rule 16)? Each has its own set of procedures.
• Locate Your Nearest Point of Complete Relief (NPCR): This is the linchpin of most drops. It’s the spot on the course that is closest to where your ball lies, but not nearer the hole, where you can stand and your ball can be dropped without the original condition interfering with your stance or your swing. This is crucial.
• Understand Your Relief Options: Depending on the rule you’re playing under, you might have several ways to take relief. For an unplayable ball, you could drop within two club-lengths, go back on the line, or drop on the opposite side of the hazard. Know your choices.
• Check the Course Conditions: Is the ground soft? Is there a lot of slope? These factors can influence where you choose to take your drop within the allowed relief area.

Consult the Rules of Golf: Seriously, pull out that little booklet or check the official R&A/USGA app. It’s the ultimate authority and will clarify any specific relief options for your situation. I keep a copy in my golf bag at all times.

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Step-by-Step Plan for Taking a Drop in Golf

Identify the Situation Requiring a Drop

• Action: Recognize when your ball is in a position that necessitates taking relief under the Rules of Golf.
• What to look for: Your ball is lodged in an impossible lie in thick rough, it’s gone out of bounds, it’s clearly in a penalty area (marked by red or yellow stakes/lines), or you simply declare it unplayable because you can’t make a stroke.
• Mistake to avoid: Trying to play a ball from a truly unplayable spot out of pride or ignorance. This often leads to more strokes than just taking the proper relief and a single penalty stroke. It’s better to take your medicine and move on.

Determine Your Nearest Point of Complete Relief (NPCR)

• Action: Find the precise spot on the course that is closest to where your ball lies, but importantly, not nearer the hole.
• What to look for: This spot should allow you to stand in a balanced stance and have a clear swing at your ball, without the original condition (e.g., water, bush, immovable obstruction) interfering with your stance or your intended stroke. Imagine you’re going to hit the ball from this spot – can you do it cleanly?
• Mistake to avoid: Choosing a point that is nearer the hole. This is one of the most common and costly errors. The NPCR is your anchor point, and it must be the closest point away from the hole.

Measure Your Relief Area

• Action: Using the club you intend to use for your next stroke (this is important!), measure two club-lengths in any direction from your NPCR.
• What to look for: A clearly defined area on the course where the ball must come to rest. This area cannot be nearer the hole than your NPCR. Ensure the ground within this area is suitable for dropping.
• Mistake to avoid: Using a club that isn’t the one you’ll use for your next shot. The rules specify using the club you intend to play with for measurement to ensure a consistent relief area size. Don’t use your driver to measure if you plan to hit a wedge next!

Drop Your Ball Correctly

• Action: Stand at your determined NPCR, hold the ball at shoulder height, and let it fall.
• What to look for: The ball lands within the measured relief area and comes to rest. It should bounce once and stay put.
• Mistake to avoid: Letting the ball roll outside the two-club-length relief area after dropping. If it rolls out, you must re-drop. If it rolls out a second time, you then place the ball by hand where it first touched the ground within the relief area.

Play the Ball from its New Position

• Action: Play your ball from where it has come to rest within the designated relief area.
• What to look for: A playable lie. Hopefully, it’s a significant improvement from where you were before.
• Mistake to avoid: Believing you can re-drop simply because you don’t like the lie within the relief area. Once the ball is dropped and comes to rest within the relief area, it is in play. You can only re-drop if it rolls out of bounds or if it hits you or your equipment before coming to rest.

Understanding Your Options: What is a Drop in Golf?

Taking a drop is more than just chucking your ball back onto the fairway. It’s a specific procedure dictated by the Rules of Golf, designed to give you fair relief from difficult situations. When your ball is unplayable or in a penalty area, you have options, and understanding these is key to playing the game correctly and efficiently. The primary situations where you’ll be taking a drop are:

• Unplayable Ball (Rule 19): This is when you deem your ball impossible to play as it lies. You have three options, all costing one penalty stroke:

1. Stroke-and-Distance: Go back and play from where you hit your previous shot.

2. Back-on-the-Line Relief: Find the point where your ball lies, and then drop a ball behind that point, keeping that point between you and the hole. You can go back as far as you like on that line.

3. Lateral Relief: Drop within two club-lengths of where your ball lies, no nearer the hole. This option is only available if your ball is not in a penalty area.

• Penalty Areas (Rule 17): These are typically water hazards, but can also include areas marked by red or yellow stakes/lines that the Committee declares as penalty areas.
• Yellow Penalty Area: You have two options, both costing one penalty stroke:

1. Stroke-and-Distance.

2. Back-on-the-Line Relief: Find where your ball last crossed the edge of the yellow penalty area, and drop on a line going back from that point.

• Red Penalty Area: You have the same two options as a yellow penalty area, PLUS a third option:

3. Lateral Relief: Drop within two club-lengths of where your ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area, no nearer the hole. This is often referred to as a “lateral water hazard” drop.

The “drop” itself is the act of releasing the ball from shoulder height. However, the proper drop involves correctly identifying the relief area based on the rule you’re using.

Common Mistakes in Golf Drops

• Dropping nearer the hole — Why it matters: This violates the fundamental principle of relief – you can’t gain an advantage by taking relief. It’s a direct breach of the rules and will cost you strokes if caught. — Fix: Always identify your Nearest Point of Complete Relief (NPCR) and ensure your entire relief area is on the side of the NPCR away from the hole. Double-check this before you drop.
• Incorrectly identifying the Nearest Point of Complete Relief (NPCR) — Why it matters: This is the foundation of most relief procedures. If your NPCR is wrong, your entire relief area is likely in the wrong place, potentially putting you back in a bad spot or even closer to the hole. — Fix: Take your time. Walk around your ball, keeping the hole between you and your ball’s original position. Find the spot where you can stand and make a stroke without the original condition interfering.
• Using the wrong club for measurement — Why it matters: The rules are specific: you measure two club-lengths using the club you intend to play for your next stroke. Using a different club can create an inconsistently sized relief area, which might technically be incorrect. — Fix: Always use the same club for measurement that you plan to use for your next shot. If you’re unsure, use a mid-iron like a 7-iron.
• Ball rolling out of the relief area — Why it matters: Once dropped, the ball must stay within the relief area. If it rolls out, you haven’t completed the drop procedure correctly. — Fix: If the ball rolls outside the relief area, you must re-drop. If it rolls out a second time, you then place the ball by hand where it first touched the ground within the relief area.
• Not understanding the difference between penalty area and unplayable ball relief — Why it matters: These situations have different rules and options. Misapplying them can lead to incorrect drops and potential penalties. For example, lateral relief is usually an option for red penalty areas but not for an unplayable ball unless you choose that specific option. — Fix: Know the markings (yellow or red) and what they mean. Understand the specific relief options for each type of penalty area and for an unplayable ball. When in doubt, consult your rule book.
• Dropping from too high — Why it matters: The rule specifies dropping from shoulder height. Dropping from much higher or lower is technically incorrect, though referees might be lenient. — Fix: Hold the ball at shoulder height, extend your arm, and let it drop. It’s a simple action, but consistency matters.
• Not completing the drop procedure before playing — Why it matters: You must let the ball come to rest within the relief area before you can play it. Hitting it before it settles is a violation. — Fix: Wait for the ball to stop bouncing and settle within the relief area before you address it or take your stance to play.

FAQ on Golf Drops

• When is it mandatory to take a drop in golf?

It is mandatory to take a drop when your ball is in a penalty area (marked by yellow or red stakes/lines), or when you declare your ball unplayable. You cannot simply leave your ball in a penalty area or an unplayable lie and skip your turn.

• What is the difference between a lateral water hazard drop and an unplayable ball drop?

A “lateral water hazard” is now called a “red penalty area.” For a red penalty area, you have the option to drop within two club-lengths of where your ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area, no nearer the hole. For an unplayable ball, you also have a two club-length relief option, but it’s measured from where the ball lies, not where it entered a penalty area. The unplayable ball rule also offers back-on-the-line relief and stroke-and-distance, which are also options for penalty areas, but the lateral relief is distinct.

• How do I find the Nearest Point of Complete Relief (NPCR)?

To find your NPCR, stand behind your ball, facing the hole. Walk away from your ball in a straight line until you find a spot where you can stand comfortably and make a stroke at your ball without the original condition (like water, thick bushes, or an immovable obstruction) interfering with your stance or your swing. That spot, and the area around it, forms your NPCR.

• Can I drop anywhere if my ball is unplayable?

No, you cannot drop anywhere. You have specific relief options under Rule 19 for an unplayable ball, which include taking stroke-and-distance, dropping back-on-the-line, or taking lateral relief within two club-lengths of where the ball lies (no nearer the hole). Each option has a defined procedure.

• What happens if my dropped ball hits me or my equipment before it comes to rest?

If the ball you dropped hits you or your equipment (like your club or bag) before it comes to rest, it’s considered an invalid drop. You must re-drop the ball without penalty. If it hits you or your equipment a second time after you re-drop, you then place the ball by hand where it first touched the ground after the second drop.

• How far can my ball roll after I drop it before I have to re-drop?

Your ball must come to rest within the relief area defined by the two club-lengths from your NPCR (or other specified relief area). If it rolls out of this area, you must re-drop. If it rolls out a second time, you must place the ball by hand where it first touched the ground within the relief area.

• Does the type of club I use to measure affect the size of my relief area?

Yes, absolutely. The Rules of Golf state that you must use the club you intend to play for your next stroke to measure the two club-lengths for your relief area. This ensures consistency. Using a longer club like a driver to measure when you plan to hit a wedge will create a larger, incorrect relief area.