How To Take A Penalty Drop In Golf... The Right Way

Your ball lies deep in trouble. It’s in the kind of place golf balls go to die. You’re half thinking about attempting to hack it out but common sense prevails: it’s time to take a penalty drop.

If you’re a beginner golfer, there are a few rules you need to know to get your ball back in play after finding the bush, water hazard or out of bounds area. Let’s walk you through how to take a penalty drop in golf — the right way.

1. DON’T LET ANYONE ELSE DROP THE BALL

The only person permitted to carry out a penalty drop is you. Not even your caddie can step in and do it for you. Therefore, the onus is on you to understand how to perform a penalty drop correctly to get your ball back in play. However, there is one exception… if you’re playing in a team event your partner can perform the drop for you.

2. THE RELIEF AREA

You’ll need to mark out your relief area before taking a drop. It’s usually two clublengths from where your ball lies in trouble or where it entered a hazard (it's one clublength if taking a free drop from a sprinkler head, cart path etc). Use the longest club in your bag, which is usually the driver, to measure the area and mark it with a tee before proceeding with your drop.

 3. THE HEIGHT YOU KNEE-D TO KNOW

To perform a correct penalty drop, the ball must be released from your knee height if you were in a standing position. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be standing while taking the drop. You can drop it however you like: stand, sit, crouch or lie down. It doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, it that the ball must be dropped from the height of your knee if you were standing up straight (see image below).

4. DROP THE BALL STRAIGHT DOWN

A drop should be exactly that. No throwing, spinning or rolling of the golf ball is allowed. In other words, no motion that might impact where the ball might eventually come to rest. You need to simply release the ball from you hand without adding any extra mayo.

5. IT CAN’T TOUCH YOU OR YOUR EQUIPMENT

The ball can’t touch you or your equipment before making contact with your dropzone or relief area. No footsies allowed! However, if the ball hits the ground first then accidentally makes contact with you or your equipment it’s considered a good drop. No further penalty is incurred and the ball is back in play.

6. THE BALL MUST LAND IN THE RELIEF AREA

When performing a penalty drop your ball must first land inside the relief area you marked out (see image below). You can’t drop the ball outside this area and let it roll into the relief area — the ball needs to be dropped into the relief area first.

7. IF THE BALL ROLLS OUTSIDE THE RELIEF AREA…

If your ball is dropped correctly inside the relief area then subsequently rolls outside it, you’ll need to repeat the drop (without penalty). If the same scenario plays out again, note where the ball first landed in the area of relief and place the ball on that spot (see image below). You’re now back in play.

8. WHAT IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE?

There’s no penalty if you don’t get it right the first time. Simply do it all over again until your drop is completed correctly. There’s no limit to how many times you can make an incorrect drop. However, there is a penalty if you make a bad drop and then make a stroke. If the stroke is played from the area of relief after an incorrect drop it’s a one stroke penalty; if the bad drop occurs from outside the area of relief it’s a two-shot penalty.