Free Drop
The free drop is the penalty-free lifting and dropping of the ball from an interfering situation.
The free drop is relief without a penalty stroke. You get it when an abnormal course condition interferes with your play: ground under repair, temporary water after rain, immovable obstructions such as paths, sprinkler heads or control boxes. Animal holes and embedded balls in the general area also entitle you to relief. You determine the nearest point of relief and drop within one club length, not nearer to the hole. The ball stays in the same area of the course.
In practice it works like this: your ball lies on the path next to the fairway. You look for the nearest point where the path interferes neither with stance nor swing. From there you measure one club length and drop within this area. It costs you nothing except a short stop. The important term is "nearest point": it is rarely the nicest point, but the nearest one that removes the interference. You may not wander towards the green until the lie pleases you.
A typical mistake is dropping in the wrong place or placing instead of dropping. The ball must be dropped from knee height. Anyone who does the procedure wrong risks penalty strokes for playing from a wrong place. The details of the relief rules are summarised in the rulebook under Rule 16. More about conduct on the course can be found in the FAQs.
FAQ
From what height do I drop the ball in a free drop?
The ball must be dropped from knee height, neither from shoulder height nor deliberately placed. Anyone who places the ball instead of dropping it does the procedure wrong and risks penalty strokes for playing from a wrong place. Knee height means: stand upright, arm outstretched, let go.
What is the difference between a free drop and declaring unplayable?
The free drop costs no stroke and requires an abnormal course condition or an obstruction. If your ball simply lies badly, for example in the dense bush, only declaring it unplayable helps — that always costs a penalty stroke but gives you freer options. In short: interference from outside means free, a bad lie means paying.
What is the nearest point of relief in a free drop?
It is the nearest point to your ball's position at which the interference hinders neither stance nor swing. It is rarely the nicest point, simply the nearest one — you may not wander towards the green until the lie pleases you. From there you measure one club length and drop within this area.