Rules on the course
Drop, Re-drop or Place: When the Ball Will Not Stay
“Drop twice, then place” applies to a specific sequence. An incorrect drop does not use up one of those two drops, and replacement on a spot starts a different process.
Competitive Play · Updated October 22, 2026
Follow release, landing and rest
Original worked cases
Three starts; three different procedures
Which facts apply?
CASE 01
Wrong-way release
Ava drops from shoulder height, then from knee height.
The shoulder-height attempt is corrected; it is not correct drop number one.
CASE 02
Correct drop rolls outside
Ben drops correctly twice; both roll outside the relief area.
Place at the spot where the second correct drop first touched the ground.
CASE 03
Replacement will not stay
Cara sets the ball on the required spot twice and it rolls away both times.
Use the nearest permissible spot where it stays under Rule 14.2e.
Fictional examples for the stated conditions. Read the complete official provisions for exceptions and the procedure that applies to your actual ball.
The short version
- Check release, first contact and final rest separately.
- A wrong-way drop does not count toward the two correct drops.
- After two unsuccessful correct drops, the second first-contact spot matters.
Track three moments on each attempt
Write “release → first touch → rest” on a fictional relief card. Ava’s first release is wrong even if the ball eventually stops in a useful position. Ben’s release and first contact can be correct while the final resting position fails.
Correct the procedure before making a stroke. For an ordinary drop, the player releases from knee height in the prescribed way. Back-on-the-line relief has a specific line requirement; do not treat every relief area as an identical pre-drawn circle.
Keep the second landing spot
In Ben’s example, the first correct drop lands at A and rolls outside. The second lands at B and again rolls outside. B is the placement reference in this procedure; Ben cannot choose A just because its grass looks better.
The procedure for making the ball stay after placement then follows the applicable replacement rules. Keep the sequence intact instead of starting an unlimited series of drops until a favorable lie appears.
A replacement begins with a spot
Cara’s original ball must be replaced on an estimated spot in a bunker. If two placement attempts fail, the nearest spot where it stays must satisfy the course-area and no-nearer-hole limits. A green-origin spot has different permitted areas from a bunker-origin spot.
A ball that settles correctly and later moves raises Rule 9 movement questions. A ball lifted for inspection raises cleaning limits. Neither should be folded into a slogan about two drops.
Official sources
Official provisions checked October 22, 2026. Read their full wording and current event conditions.
Your next move
Read the governing source
Check the complete official procedure and your event conditions before acting.
Read the governing source(Official source), opens in a new tab