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My ball hit my foot during a drop. Do I have to drop again?

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You’re taking relief but your ball has been deflected. Are you repeating the trick or are you good to go? Our expert has the answer

ABU DHABI, UNITED David Horsey of England takes a drop under the new rules of golf by dropping his ball from knee height under the watchful eye of European Tour referee Simon Higginbottom on the par 4, 17th hole during the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 18, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Source: Getty Images dropping a golf ball

Remember when the rules changed and we started dropping a golf ball from knee height? I thought the world was going to end for some.

However awkward we found the changes at the start of 2019, I think we’re just about getting used to leaning over and letting the ball go.

But that doesn’t mean a simple drop can’t still cause confusion in the heat of a round. What happens if part of you gets in the way? What do you do if your ball hits your foot during a drop? Let’s get into these dropping a golf ball rules…

What you must do when a golf ball hits you during a drop depends on when it happened Source: Getty Images dropping a golf ball
What you must do when a golf ball hits you during a drop depends on when it happened | Source: Getty Images

Dropping a golf ball: What happens when the ball hits you?

The answer depends on when the ball hit your foot. Rule 14.3b (2) says the ball must be dropped from knee height and can’t touch “any part of the player’s body or equipment before it hits the ground”.

So if it cannons off your big toe before the course has got in the way, you need to drop again – because you haven’t dropped a ball in the right way.

Now, if the ball is dropped correctly, hits the ground and then touches you, it’s Rule 14.3c that comes into play.

If the ball comes to rest in the relief area, it says “it does not matter whether the ball, after hitting the ground, touches any person, equipment or other outside influence before coming to rest”.

The ball is in play and you must now play it as lies. If it doesn’t stay in the relief area, you are dropping again.

This goes without saying but you normally can’t deliberately deflect or stop a ball that is dropped in the right way. Rule 14.3d will dish out the general penalty to a player who deliberately touches a ball in motion after it hits the ground.

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I say normally because there is an exception if a ball is deliberately deflected or stopped “when there is no reasonable chance it will come to rest in the relief area”.

Got a question for our expert?

Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.

What do you think of this rule about dropping a golf ball? Let me know by leaving a comment below, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.

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About the author

Steve Carroll
Steve Carroll

A journalist for more than 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long.

A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A’s prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.

Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men’s Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.

A part of NCG’s Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He’d like to tell you he floats around 10. The reality is more like 13.

Steve plays at Sandburn Hall, in York, and is a country member at Close House in Newcastle. He has served on various club committees during his time in the game, and is the current Rules Secretary at Sandburn.

Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NCTJ exams at Darlington College of Technology. He began his career working on weekly papers in Newcastle, before joining the York Press in 2001. After five years as a news reporter, he joined the sports desk – specialising in horse racing and snooker – and was Digital Sports Editor when he joined National Club Golfer in 2016.

What’s in Steve’s bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Odyssey 2Ball Microhinge putter.

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