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  1. #1
    Albatross goliath is on a distinguished road goliath's Avatar
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    Ball stuck in green?

    What is the ruling for a ball stuck in the green.

    Today My ball got stuck approx 1/2 the ball was stuck in the green.

    What is the rule for this?

    I lifted my ball tried fixing the divot and placed the ball over the divot but the divot caused my ball to bounce and ended up being a horrible putt.

  2. #2
    Hall of Fame mpare is on a distinguished road mpare's Avatar
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    Rule 16-1c allows a player to mark the ball on the green and to repair the damage done. You are then required to replace the ball under Rule 20-1 before playing your next shot. I could find nothing that exempts you from replacing it from where it was lifted, so I assume that you cannot place it somewhere other than the spot from which it was lifted. The moral of the story: Become very proficient at effecting excellent repairs.

    On another site (www.golfrewind.com) I found this quotation that deals with embedded balls generally:

    "... this is from USGA Rules Official Doug Hoffman:

    "This allows me to talk about the "Embedded Ball" rule. Many golfers believe that when a ball embeds in its own pitch-mark, they are entitled to relief without penalty. In most cases, this is true, but a player must know the rules in effect at the time; in addition, the place where the ball has become embedded is critical.

    In your question, the player's ball has embedded in the green; thus, this case would be covered by Rule 16: Putting Green. Under Rule 16-1b, the player is entitled to "lift and, if desired, clean" the ball. In addition, under Rule 16-1c, the player may repair old hole plugs and ball marks. Thus, when the player lifts the ball, he may repair the ball mark. However, after repairing the mark, the ball "shall be replaced on the spot from which it was lifted." So, your friend did not follow the rules completely when he placed the ball next to the divot. (Under the rules, this would be a two-stroke penalty in stroke play or a loss of hole in match play!)

    However, many people mistakenly believe that they are entitled to relief without penalty should the ball become embedded anywhere on the course, except in a water hazard or bunker. This is true ONLY if the Local Rule permitting such has been adopted. Under Rule 25-2, for a player to obtain relief without penalty, the ball must be "embedded in its own pitch-mark in any closely-mown area through the green." As the rule continues to say, "Closely-mown area means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less." This means an embedded ball in the rough (but not in a walk path) must be played as it lies.

    Having said all of this, it is very common for the Committee in charge of the competition (or course, in the case of normal play) to adopt the Local Rule found in Appendix I of the Rules Book. The wording the USGA suggests for this is as follows: "Through the green, a ball which is embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground, other than sand, may be lifted without penalty, cleaned and dropped as near as possible to where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green." (The Rules define through the green as "the whole area of the course except (a) the teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played; and (b) all hazards on the course.") One final note about this, a player cannot repair the pitch-mark before the shot is played."

    I hope this sheds some light on the embedded ball issue as the majority of golfers incorrectly take relief without penalty for an embedded ball in the rough. The minority of golf clubs DO NOT have a local rule allowing free relief for an embedded ball in the rough.

    I guess the net is that the USGA allows a free drop through the green in their competitions. Unless there is a local rule that allows a free drop from the rough, you play it as it lies in the rough."
    Proud member of the 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Ottawa Golf Ryder Cup teams.

  3. #3
    England Golf Referee AAA is on a distinguished road
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    Quote Originally Posted by goliath View Post
    What is the ruling for a ball stuck in the green.

    Today My ball got stuck approx 1/2 the ball was stuck in the green.

    What is the rule for this?

    I lifted my ball tried fixing the divot and placed the ball over the divot but the divot caused my ball to bounce and ended up being a horrible putt.
    You must replace the ball on the repaired pitchmark (it's not a divot hole).
    You should take as much care to get it right as you can. If it's not done properly then you can't move it elsewhere.

    The correct technique is to insert the pitch repair tool next to the mark as far as you can vertically and push the top towards the hole (not away)
    Pushing away tears the roots under the hole causing the grass to die. Pushing towards moves the turf sideways into the depression. Go right round the deprssion and then move 1/4" away and repeat the circuit.

    Also don't use a lightweight aluminium or plastic tool (and particularly not a tee), they are a waste of time. A solid steel or brass one is recommended.

  4. #4
    Albatross goliath is on a distinguished road goliath's Avatar
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    Thanks guys

  5. #5
    Golf Canada Rules Official L4 BC MIST is on a distinguished road
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    Quote Originally Posted by AAA View Post
    The correct technique is to insert the pitch repair tool next to the mark as far as you can vertically and push the top towards the hole (not away)
    Pushing away tears the roots under the hole causing the grass to die. Pushing towards moves the turf sideways into the depression. Go right round the depression and then move 1/4" away and repeat the circuit.

    Also don't use a lightweight aluminium or plastic tool (and particularly not a tee), they are a waste of time. A solid steel or brass one is recommended.
    The best divot tool is a FORK. I straightened a fork in a vice and inserted/glued the cut off handle portion into a short piece of wooden dowel. The narrow, sharp tines minimizes damage and the dowel end provides the perfect amount of leverage.

  6. #6
    England Golf Referee AAA is on a distinguished road
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    Quote Originally Posted by BC MIST View Post
    The best divot tool is a FORK. I straightened a fork in a vice and inserted/glued the cut off handle portion into a short piece of wooden dowel. The narrow, sharp tines minimizes damage and the dowel end provides the perfect amount of leverage.
    You should patent it.

  7. #7
    3 Wood corchard is on a distinguished road corchard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BC MIST View Post
    The best divot tool is a FORK. I straightened a fork in a vice and inserted/glued the cut off handle portion into a short piece of wooden dowel. The narrow, sharp tines minimizes damage and the dowel end provides the perfect amount of leverage.
    Gives new meaning to the expression. "stick a fork in it. You are done"
    3-4 ...... time to settle the score

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