Plugged through the green.

[AAA]

It is reported that John Paramour, Chief Referee on the European Tour, has said that relief will be allowed in the next issue of the Rules.
Any comments?

[Kilroy]

This is the first I have heard of this, is it a done deal?

Since it is already allowed in a closely mown area, and basically impossible to advance a plugged ball in the rough, plus the fact that this would not include hazzards, I think it makes sense.

[AAA]

Apparently he was being interviewed on 'World of Golf' a couple of days ago.

[buckylasek]

Good idea since it often happens ( remember Fed ex st jude classic with david toms )

[1dash1]

It is reported that John Paramour, Chief Referee on the European Tour, has said that relief will be allowed in the next issue of the Rules.
Any comments?

AAA:

This has been a long running dispute between the USGA and the R&A. In the past, the R&A didn't feel that relief was warranted in the rough. The USGA felt that it was.

As I understand it, the R&A's position was predicated by their view of conditions in the rough as being uneven, that's why it's called the "rough". From the basic principles of the game, the player should play the ball as it lies - even if that ball should be plugged. Underlying the argument is the basic belief that the element of chance is an accepted part of the game.

The USGA's view was that the embedded condition in and of itself warranted relief. Just as casual water conditions or ground under repair conditions in and of themselves warrant relief. In all of golf, there is only one area where the Rules of Golf differentiates between playing in the rough and playing in the fairway, and that is in the uneven treatment of embedded balls. The logical argument is a reflection of the attitude that golf is supposed to be "fair" and that embedded balls in the rough are somehow not fair.

The differing attitudes are also a result of the differing venues that tend to prevail in each respective ruling body's jurisdiction.
- Why should a player in the U.K. be entitled to relief from an embedded ball when the rough in a links-type course may typically be much worse?
- Why should a player in the U.S. have to play from an embedded lie when the entire course is manicured like Augusta National?