Embedded ball – Lie Altered

The staff of the Oregon Golf Association owes a huge thanks to our many dedicated volunteers. Without the help of volunteer Rules Officials and Tag Team volunteers, the Amateur, and the rest of the events in our Championship schedule, would fail to meet the level of excellence that our competitors have become accustomed. A great example of the applications of many Rules of Golf is detailed below as occurred between a player and a dedicated volunteer Rules Official today at the Amateur.

A player called over a nearby Rules official to determine if his ball was embedded in the rough and he would be entitled to free relief. The Rules of Golf allow a player free relief for a ball embedded in its own pitch mark in any closely mown area through the green (Rule 25-2). Most tournaments and golf courses adopt a Local Rule allowing relief for an embedded ball through the green. Through the green is defined as the whole area of the course except:

a. The teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played; and

b. All hazards on the course.

The Local Rule for embedded ball through the green is found in Appendix I, part B/4/a. The Local Rule reads:

“Through the green, a ball that is embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground may be lifted, without penalty, cleaned and dropped as near as possible to where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green.

Exceptions:

1. A player may not take relief under this Local Rule if the ball is embedded in sand in an area that is not closely mown.

2. A player may not take relief under this Local Rule if it is clearly unreasonable for him to make a stroke because of interference by anything other than the condition covered by this Local Rule.

The Rules Official arrived and found the player’s ball lying in the rough. He was unable on sight to determine if the ball was embedded in its pitch mark or simply sitting down. Though the Rule for an embedded ball allows free relief for an embedded ball, it does not authorize the player to pick up his ball to determine if it is embedded. Decision 20-1/7 applies equity to allow a player “to lift his ball if he is unable to identify his ball or whether is can proceed under a Rule.” Equity is a term common in golf where the Rules do not specifically cover a situation – this is covered in depth by Rule 1-4.

In this instance the lifting of the ball was authorized to determine if the ball was embedded in its own pitch mark. The player announced his intentions to his marker, lifted the ball (did not clean it – this would be a penalty stroke), and was unable to come to a determination as to if the ball was embedded. His marker was also unsure. Decision 5-3/7 strongly recommends that a marker or fellow-competitor be involved in the process of lifting the ball to make this determination and, as they were unable to come to a conclusion, the Rule Official became involved. He put his finger in the hole gently to determine if the ball was embedded and found that the ball was lying about a half inch above the ground. Decision 25-2/0.5 lays down guidelines on when a ball would be considered embedded in the ground. It states:

For a ball to be considered embedded, it must be in its own pitch-mark with part of the ball below the level of the ground. However, the ball does not necessarily have to touch the soil to be considered embedded, e.g., grass or loose impediments may intervene between the ball and the soil.

After probing, the ball was not below the level of the ground and the player was not given relief. The Rules require the player under 20-3 to replace the ball under no penalty in the same lie and proceed on with the hole. Unfortunately, during probing, the grass under the player’s ball was compressed and replacing the ball in the same location was no longer possible. Rule 20-3b, Lie of Ball to Be Placed or Replaced Altered, covers this very situation:

(i) except in a hazard, the ball must be placed in the nearest lie most similar to the original lie that is not more than one club-length from the original lie, not nearer the hole and not in a hazard.

The Rule Official determined a spot very near the ball and the player placed in a similar lie and continued on with the hole without penalty.