plugged ball

[Garesfield ACE]

Whats the proper ruling on a plugged ball situation?

Playing in a comp awhile ago my ball was plugged/embedded in a bank of soil and was impossible to play.Blokes I played with said take it out drop it with penalty.Were they right?

Today playing with couple of lads from here one of them ball was plugged a few foot above a lake in grass..it looked unplayable.None of us were sure on the ruling and as was just a knock....we said drop it close by and no penalty.Were we right or wrong?

Kev

 

[Colin L]

Whats the proper ruling on a plugged ball situation?.....

It's short enough just to quote:

25-2. Embedded Ball

A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground in any closely mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green. “Closely mown area” means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.

​

Your bank of soil isn't a "closely mown area" which mostly means fairway and in your situation at the lakeside, it depends as anywhere on the length of the grass. If your ball is embedded in a closely mown area, you drop as near as possible to where it was.

 

[bobmac]

Unless of course you're playing winter rules

 

[Imurg]

During the Winter - no comps - we play a "local rule" during our knocks.
On the fairway - pick clean and place as normal
Plugged in the rough - which can happen a lot - just roll it out no nearer the hole and play on.

It annoys me a little that you can be plugged 3 inches off the fairway and have no shot through no real fault of your own other than missing a fairway by 3 inches......

 

[rosecott]

During the Winter - no comps - we play a "local rule" during our knocks.
On the fairway - pick clean and place as normal
Plugged in the rough - which can happen a lot - just roll it out no nearer the hole and play on.

It annoys me a little that you can be plugged 3 inches off the fairway and have no shot through no real fault of your own other than missing a fairway by 3 inches......

I'm sure your committee would not want to see you annoyed just ask them nicely to introduce the approved local rule for embedded balls through the green.

 

[Imurg]

I'm sure your committee would not want to see you annoyed just ask them nicely to introduce the approved local rule for embedded balls through the green.

Got more chance of getting a "favour" from a Nun, Rosie.....:mmm:

 

[MashieNiblick]

One other thing to bear in mind is that "through green" does not include hazards, so in relation to the situation where the ball was plugged by the lake you would need to check where the hazard line was even if the area was closely mown or you were playing the approved local rule.

 

[Foxholer]

Unless of course you're playing winter rules

Just remember that there are 2 separate 'Winter Rules' rules and not all clubs apply both. 'Preferred Lies' is pretty general, but 'Plugged in the Rough' is not universal - though it should be imo.