Relief or not?

[Mark_G]

Had a query on yesterday's round. The ball plugged on the edge of the river bank. The banks had been cut back so there was a sharp corner where the ball sat right on the edge. To complicate things further the yellow marker posts had been removed from this side of the river but were present on the other. Now there was no way I could take a normal stance, so I took a drop, but should it have been a free drop or 1 shot penalty? Was it an abnormal ground condition?

 

[full_throttle]

If the ball is plugged in it's on pitchmark you can rolll it out without penalty. In the above situation I think if you took a drop it would be under penalty because you would be taking an unplayable lie.

not 100%, but that is my interpretation

 

[Region3]

In the hazard - unlucky.

Outside the hazard - depends on the wording of any local rules regarding plugged balls. Ours is closely mown only but I've also seen other clubs state through the green.

Edit : this is only my guess, not stating facts.

 

[Master-putter]

If the ball is plugged in it's on pitchmark you can rolll it out without penalty. In the above situation I think if you took a drop it would be under penalty because you would be taking an unplayable lie.

not 100%, but that is my interpretation

haven't you just contradicted yourself?

 

[Colin L]

Mark
In the absence of posts or a line defining the margin of the water hazard, you would have identify its natural margin. If I have correctly got what you describe, there was a clear edge between vertical/sloping bank and the ground which would have been the margin? Once you identified the margin, the next question is whether your ball was in the hazard or not. The depends on where it plugged. You have to picture a vertical line up and down from the margin. If part of your ball was over this imaginary line into the hazard side or even just touching it, your ball was in the hazard. In which case you play it as it lies or proceed under Rule 26-1a or 26-1b with a penalty stroke.\

If your ball was wholly on the non-hazard side, it would have to be on a closely mown area for you to get free relief for the embedded ball under Rule 25-2. If, as seems likely, this was not a closely mown area, you would have to play the ball as it lies or proceed with a penalty stroke under Rule 28 Ball Unplayable.

At this time of year, however, you may find you have a local rule in place which allows you relief from an embedded ball through the green.

 

[User20205]

At this time of year, however, you may find you have a local rule in place which allows you relief from an embedded ball through the green.

ours has this rule. relief from a plugged ball though the green, not just mown grass. The wording has been changed this year to clarify that the line of the hazard extends vertically and follows the natural line of the hazard to avoid posts every 5 yards.

Prior to this it was possible to claim relief in the winter from a ball plugged as you describe, no longer though.

In your case it should be a penalty drop, as to my mind the ball is in the hazard.

 

[Val]

If the ball is plugged in it's on pitchmark you can rolll it out without penalty. In the above situation I think if you took a drop it would be under penalty because you would be taking an unplayable lie.

not 100%, but that is my interpretation

You cannot roll a pugged ball out its pitchmark, the ruling is a free drop as near as possibly if in a closely mown area ie fairway or fringe of the green. You generally only get a fee drop if in the rough by local ruling in the winter.

 

[Mark_G]

Thanks for the advice, the ball was in the hazard, it was just the lack of marker posts and the recent repairs to the bank that made me wonder.