Many times golfers just toss their golf ball into a general relief area and carry on with their round. When playing a friendly, I am less concerned about this than when playing in a tournament. A competition is a different beast and there are more rules to consider when taking relief and placing another ball in play. It is not complicated, however there are three rules that constitute a golf ball being dropped properly. The penalty for breaching these rules range from a free redrop, a 1 stroke penalty or a 2 stroke penalty. So, understanding how to properly drop a golf ball is important to your score.