Few things in golf are more dispiriting than sending a shot into a penalty area. Out of bounds is more brutal, because stroke-and-distance is your only option, but you’ve got to be unbelievably fortunate to find a body of water and still be able to play it as it lies.
Normally, you’re going to be taking penalty area relief and tacking on a shot for your troubles. Most of us know what we’re doing when it comes to dropping the ball itself – and if you’re unsure you can read this handy guide – but working out where to let the ball go can be tricky.
After all, most of the time you’ll have hit that fateful shot from some distance away. So what do the rules say about finding the right place to drop when your ball is in a penalty area and are there any complications when you go through the process?
If you’ve ever wondered how it’s done, stay tuned because I’m about to reveal the answer…
How do I take a drop from a penalty area?
Whether you are taking back-on-the-line relief, or lateral relief, the starting point for doing so remains the same.
You are looking for the estimated point where your original ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area.
That’s all you need to remember, if you’re taking lateral relief. If it’s back-on-the-line, you then keep that point between the hole and the spot where you will drop the ball. You can go back as far as you want.
Notice the use of the word “estimated”. Take a look at Rule 17.1d to see in in the flesh. This is not always an exact science. Sometimes you’ll know exactly where that point is, sometimes you’ll have to guess.
This can cause some debate. Remember Rory McIlroy’s ‘conversation’ with Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland at The Players in 2024?
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The Northern Irishman shot 67 in the first round and took a drop after finding the water at the par 4 7th. There was debate over where that estimated point was – whether the ball had bounced before the penalty area or whether it went straight in. The first would allow him to drop near that point, but how the hole was configured meant the second would mean going back to the tee. McIlory said it had bounced above the penalty area line. His playing partners grumbled a bit.
That’s a high-profile example but what you need to bear in mind is that as long as you use your reasonable judgement to find that estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area, you’ll almost always be all right.
Where you require more precise detail is when it’s discovered your estimate turns out to be the wrong point. We can turn to a rules clarification which explains exactly what happens and what you might need to do.
Usually, “under Rule 1.3b (2), the player’s reasonable judgement will be accepted even if that reference point turns out to be wrong”.
There are some situations – and this normally happens before you’ve hit another shot – where you might have to correct the mistake.
The clarification uses the example of a ball that is virtually certain to be in a red penalty area. The player talks to his playing partners and estimates where the ball last crossed. He then takes lateral relief and drops.
“But before making a stroke at the dropped ball,” the clarification says, “one of the players in the group finds the player’s original ball in the penalty area in a position indicating that the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area approximately 20 yards closer to the hole than the reference point the player had estimated.”
Because they discover this before a stroke has been made, even though the ball has been dropped, the player has to correct the area and take penalty area relief again from the new point.
If they don’t do that, and just play on and make a stroke, they’ll get a two-stroke penalty for playing from the wrong place.
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 about this situation and where to drop from a penalty area? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
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