Free Drop
The free drop is the penalty-free dropping of the ball when a rule grants you relief from an interfering situation.
The Free Drop is the English designation for the free drop — the principle is identical. You may pick up the ball and drop it again without a penalty stroke when an abnormal course condition or an obstruction hinders your play. Typical cases: ground under repair, temporary water after rain, immovable obstructions like paths, sprinkler heads or control boxes. The relief is regulated in Rule 16 of the rulebook: you determine the nearest point of reference and drop within one club length, not nearer to the hole.
In practice the free drop runs after a fixed procedure. An example: your ball lies on the asphalted path to the right of the Fairway. You mark the spot, look for the nearest point at which the path disturbs neither stance nor swing, and measure from there one club length. Within this area you let the ball fall from knee height. It costs no stroke, only one minute of time. If the ball rolls out of the area or nearer to the hole, you drop again; if it does not remain lying the second time either, you place it at the spot of the second impact.
The typical mistake is the wandering to the desired point. The nearest point of reference is rarely the most pleasant one, but simply the nearest one that removes the disturbance — even if the rough behind it is dense. Anyone who deliberately drops towards a better lie plays from a wrong place and risks penalty strokes. The counterpart with penalty is the declaration unplayable; details on both ways you find in the frequently asked questions.
FAQ
When do I get a free drop?
You may drop without penalty when an abnormal course condition disturbs your play — for example ground under repair, temporary water after rain or immovable obstructions like paths and sprinkler heads. It is regulated in Rule 16: you determine the nearest point of reference and drop within one club length, not nearer to the hole. It costs you no stroke, only one minute of time.
May I wander towards a better lie with the free drop?
No, and that is the most typical mistake: the nearest point of reference is the nearest point that removes the disturbance — not the most pleasant one. Even if the rough behind it is dense, you must drop there. Anyone who deliberately drops towards a better lie plays from a wrong place and risks penalty strokes.
What do I do if the ball rolls out of the area with the free drop?
Then you simply drop a second time from knee height into the same area. If the ball does not remain lying on the second attempt either, you place it at the spot where it first touched the ground with the second drop. That is not a rule violation but the intended procedure.