Rules question · Rule 17.1d · Expert
Back-on-the-line drop: must the ball stay on the line?
You take back-on-the-line relief. Must the dropped ball come to rest exactly on the line?
Answer
No. It must land on the line and may then roll up to one club-length in any direction, just not nearer the hole than the crossing point
Since 2023 the dropped ball must first touch the ground on the line. That spot creates the relief area: one club-length in any direction, so also towards the hole. It just must not be nearer the hole than the point where your ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area. From 2019 to 2022 you could still drop anywhere within one club-length of a point on the line.
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