plugged ball

[ko1]

dear forum,
i was recently playing when my ball plugged! my partner told me that i could lift it but not clean it & then drop it to resume play.
i thought you just played it were it lie.
can you help
thanks
ko1

 

[Deleted member 1147]

We're still playing winter rules at my course.

Lift, clean & place (<6 inches) if in fairway.

If plugged in the rough you can lift, clean & drop within 1 club length.

No nearer the hole of course.

 

[viscount17]

different rules -
fairway as yours,
rough - lift and drop, but not clean

 

[USER1999]

Surely you can only have a local rule allowing lift and drop when in the rough under exceptional conditions. It states in the book that this cannot be a local rule for the whole winter, only for 'exceptional ground conditions'. Pity more comittees don't know or follow the rules. Unfair, but by the book. You cannot, by definition, have exceptional ground conditions for 3 months. It is then normal ground conditions, which are obviously rubbish.

If you habitually play in a swamp, dry land is abnormal.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Virtually every drive plugs at our course at present. So it's hardly fair to punish players by not allowing the use of the winter rules.
I hit several drives last weekend that had to be dug out, from the middle of the fairway, using my pitch mark repairer.

 

[Doh]

Yes you have to check what local rules are in place on the day.

You can however lift clean and drop a ball which is plugged on the fringe of a green without penalty.

 

[JustOne]

I hit several drives last weekend that had to be dug out, from the middle of the fairway, using my pitch mark repairer.

Hit 'em a bit lower!

 

[Fyldewhite]

You can however lift clean and drop a ball which is plugged on the fringe of a green without penalty.

Rules of golf give you a free drop if it's plugged anywhere fairway height or less any time of year (25-2).

As for winter rules it's pretty clear in the local rules appendix that committees have the power to introduce local rules, lift, clean and place etc for perhaps months at a time if the conditions warrant it.

We play lift clean and place < 6 inches on the fairway and lift clean and drop < 1 club in the rough as we want to preserve an advantage for hitting the fairway. We are still on these rules as the course is still a bog and will probably go to lift, clean, place closely mown and just relief for a plugged ball through the green from a week on Saturday (if the promised dry spell materialises) so we can run for handicap adjustment. Just a fact of life on some courses.

 

[USER1999]

That's as may be, but there is nothing in the rules for prolonged boggy conditions. You should have to play it as it lies in the rough, unless conditions are exceptional. There is no provision for poor course design in the rules. Ditto for flooded bunkers.

Tough. Rules are rules. Why not kick it out onto the fairway?

 

[Fyldewhite]

Really not sure what you are getting at here Murph. The rules seem pretty clear to me and I don't see why our committee are doing anything wrong in playing as quoted above (non qualifying comps obviously). Can't see any requirement for the conditions to be "exceptional" just that they need to exist. In fact the rules point out that such conditions may be the case for several months in the winter.

I'm not saying what we do is the right way just that we have the right under the rules to do it. Each to their own and as it's all non qualifying winter rubbish golf anyway who really cares? It's known as lift clean and cheat anyway in these parts

 

[viscount17]

winter rules don't necessarily make a comp non-qualifying. I remember seeing the pros using them in some pga matches last year.

 

[Fyldewhite]

winter rules don't necessarily make a comp non-qualifying. I remember seeing the pros using them in some pga matches last year.

They do if you are playing a shortened course off mats playing lift/clean/drop in the rough which is what we do because you are lucky if you leave the course without trenchfoot.

You can run for handicap adjustment if prefered lies (closely mown only) are in force and between 1st October and 31st March. To do so outside that timeframe needs approval by county Union.