On The Bubble

[BC MIST]

Brought up during today's round.

Stroke Play Tournament.

With all the rain we have had a small portion of the sod on a putting green has separated from the subsoil and an air bubble has been created under the surface. Your ball happens to come to rest on the mound/bubble that was formed. What do you do?

[Hacker]

Brought up during today's round.

Stroke Play Tournament.

With all the rain we have had a small portion of the sod on a putting green has separated from the subsoil and an air bubble has been created under the surface. Your ball happens to come to rest on the mound/bubble that was formed. What do you do?

Call a Rules Official a Greens Keeper and possibly my Mommy

[jvincent]

I was going to say that the bubble was an "abnormal ground condition" but it doesn't fit the definition.

Play it as it lies?

[AAA]

As Hacker says or play it as it lies.
Only the Committee can declare areas as GUR (with a couple of exceptions not relevant here).

[mpare]

Before playing your short, are you allowed to punch a hole in the turf to drain the water and the air from the bubble or is that considered improving your lie? This is an approach that we used in Sackville, N.B. under a local rule.

[AAA]

I would say that it would be considered to be improving your lie.
I can understand a LR giving relief but I would be interested in seeing the wording of one allowing a player to puncture the bubble.

[jvincent]

On a related note, I love popping those bubbles.

One of the courses I play has a fairway that is prone to them and a well placed wedge on the way to one's ball deflates them nicely.