Dropping From the Wrong Height Can Cost a Stroke Under Rule 14.3

By Staff Writer

September 9, 2026

2 min read

A ball measured for relief within two club lengths

LoopGolf

Key takeaways

Rule 14.3b requires a dropped ball to be released from knee height.
A player can re-drop as many times as needed to fix the error, with no penalty, as long as it happens before a stroke is played.
Playing a stroke after an incorrect drop that stayed inside the relief area brings a one-stroke penalty.
Playing a stroke after an incorrect drop that came to rest outside the relief area brings the general penalty under Rule 14.7a: two strokes in stroke play or loss of hole in match play.
A significant advantage gained from the wrong spot can require correction before the hole is finished, or lead to disqualification.

The Rules of Golf require a ball to be dropped from knee height, and getting that wrong carries different consequences depending on where the ball settles and whether the mistake is caught before a stroke is played.

Can a player fix an incorrect drop before playing?

Yes. Under Rule 14.3b, if a ball is dropped from the wrong height, or otherwise not in line with the procedure, the player can simply drop again. There is no limit on how many times they can re-drop, and no penalty applies as long as the correction happens before they make a stroke.

What happens if the incorrect drop is played?

Once a stroke is played from an incorrectly dropped ball, the outcome depends on where it landed. If the ball came to rest inside the relief area established under Rule 16, playing it brings a single penalty stroke. If it came to rest outside that relief area, the player has played from a wrong place, and Rule 14.7a's general penalty applies instead: two strokes in stroke play or loss of the hole in match play.

When does an incorrect drop risk disqualification?

That turns on whether the error created a significant advantage, such as a ball moving from thick rough into a clean lie on the fairway. If it did, the player must correct the mistake by playing a ball from the proper spot before finishing the hole; failing to do so results in disqualification. If the wrong-place error did not create a significant advantage, the player can finish the hole with the ball as played, subject to the general penalty.