The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.
I know, or at least I think I know, how to handle an unplayable lie in a sand trap: take a one-stroke penalty for dropping in the proper spot inside the trap, or a two-stroke penalty for taking relief outside the trap. But what if the ball is plugged and unidentifiable as it sits, and you don’t want to take a penalty? Can you identify the ball and then attempt to recreate the plugged lie, or must you just blast out and take your chances that it’s the correct ball? – Donald R. O’Neil, via email
At bottom, Donald, your query isn’t about whether the unplayable ball but rather identifying a ball in the sand. Yes, you can ID your ball in a plugged lie; you mark and lift just as you would in rough, not cleaning the ball (except, if needed, only enough to ID it), then replace the ball.
The extra wrinkle as it pertains to sand — both in a bunker or not — is that you must recreate the lie. Ergo, you must put the ball back as it was in the plugged situation. If the ball had been completely covered but you’d still managed to find it, you can leave just a little bit visible to keep you from potentially losing it again. Dig out the Rules of Golf and uncover 7.3 and 14.2d.
Rules Guy: My ball plugged in the bank of an unmarked lake. Can I take free relief?
For more plugged-lie guidance from our guru, read on …
Teeing off, I drove my ball completely underground, eight inches forward. I said the ball was embedded, entitling relief. My opponent said it was unplayable, necessitating a one-stroke penalty. Rules Guy says… – Aaron Lowe, via email
…to consider a driver with more loft.
Rule 16.3a(2) says that a ball driven straight into the ground without becoming airborne is not embedded, and thus free relief for an embedded ball isn’t allowed.
That said, should the ball remain within the teeing area — on the off chance you teed up more than eight inches behind the markers so your ball is in the ground still behind the markers — you can lift the ball and tee it up again anywhere inside the teeing area without penalty, hitting 2, under Rule 6.2b.
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Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.
