DROPPING AND RE-DROPPING THE BALL
Dropping the ball (under Rule 20) is one of the most fundamental and frequently
used procedures in golf.
1. Dropping the Ball
The player shall stand up straight, hold the ball at shoulder height and arm’s length
and drop it.
NB: The ball must be dropped by the player himself. If the ball is dropped by any
other person, or is dropped incorrectly and subsequently played, then the player
incurs a 1 stroke penalty and the ball must be redropped correctly.
2. Where to drop
When a ball is to be dropped as near as possible to a specific spot, it must be
dropped not nearer the hole than the specific spot which, if not precisely known to
the player, must be estimated.
3. When to re-drop
When the ball rolls and
comes to rest in a hazard
When the ball rolls back into
and comes to rest in the
condition from which relief
was taken
NB:
When the ball rolls out of When the ball rolls onto
and comes to rest outside and comes to rest on a
a hazard
putting green
When the ball rolls and
comes to rest nearer the
hole than its original
position or the nearest
point of relief
When the ball rolls and
comes to rest more than
two club-lengths away
When the ball rolls and
comes to rest out of bounds
When the ball rolls and
comes to rest nearer the
hole than the appropriate
reference point
a) If the ball when re-dropped comes to rest in any position listed above, it
must be placed as near as possible to the spot where it first struck the course
when re-dropped.
b) When a dropped or re-dropped ball comes to rest and subsequently moves,
the ball must be played as it lies, unless the provision of any other rule
applies.
c) If a ball to be re-dropped or placed under this rule is not immediately
recoverable, another ball may be substituted.
COMMON MISTAKE
Many players are unaware that when a ball is dropped and first strikes the course
where the applicable rule requires it to be dropped (usually within 1 or 2 clublengths)
it can then run and come to rest a further two clublengths from that spot, so long
as it is not nearer the hole. Therefore the ball can be up to 3 or 4 clublengths
from where the original relief was taken and is in play.
Often, players do not realise this and will pick up their ball and re-drop it if it comes
to rest beyond the 1 or 2 clublengths which they have measured out.
By doing this, they are moving a ball in play and will incur a 1 stroke penalty (for
moving a ball in play) and MUST replace the ball.
If they don’t replace the ball, they then incur a penalty of 2 strokes for playing from
a wrong place.