The ruling in plain English
Yes. When a Rule calls for a drop, release the ball straight down from knee height. If you dropped it incorrectly, drop again the right way before playing; correcting it then carries no penalty.
Apply the Rule on the course
You can bend or kneel to make the drop. Hold the ball at the height of your knee when standing, then let it fall straight down.
- 1
Identify the relief area required by the Rule you are using.
- 2
Release the ball yourself from standing knee height, straight down, without throwing or spinning it.
- 3
Make sure it does not touch you or your equipment before hitting the ground and finishes in the required relief area.
- 4
If the drop was wrong, repeat it correctly before making a stroke.
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What else matters
A wrong-way drop corrected before the stroke is penalty-free. Playing it uncorrected from within the relief area costs one stroke; playing from outside it can bring the general penalty.
Exceptions
- Disability modifications may change who may drop the ball.
- Back-on-the-line relief has a different line requirement, while the knee-height release still applies.
Common mistakes
- Dropping from shoulder height or tossing the ball sideways.
- Counting a wrong-way drop as one of the two valid drops before placing.
- Assuming any ball that finishes in the relief area is automatically a valid drop.
Remember: Your drop, knee height, straight down.
R&A Rule 14.3b
Independent plain-English guide. The current Rules, Interpretations and applicable Local Rules control.