2 dumb questions

[Golfpeasant]

1) I played recently where my ball stuck in its ball mark on the green. Do I lift, repair and replace? Or by some oddity do I have to putt it like that.

2) What is the rule for a plugged ball in the fairway? And the natural follow up: what constitutes plugged? More than half the ball?

[Gary Hill]

1) I played recently where my ball stuck in its ball mark on the green. Do I lift, repair and replace? Or by some oddity do I have to putt it like that.

Rule 16-1b allows a ball on the putting green to be lifted at any time.

Rule 16-1c allows a pitch-mark on the putting green to be repaired at any time.

Therefore, you may lift, repair and replace.

2) What is the rule for a plugged ball in the fairway? And the natural follow up: what constitutes plugged? More than half the ball?

A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground in any closely mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole.
“Closely mown area” means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less. See Rule 25-2.

A dropped ball must be re-dropped without penalty if it:
rolls back into the pitch-mark from which it was lifted under Rule 25-2 (embedded ball); See Rule 20-2.

A ball is embedded when any part of the ball is encased in its own depression in the ground.
(ie. If you were to lift the ball, there would be a dent in the ground).

FYI - You cannot repair the pitch mark through the green until AFTER you have dropped. See Rule 13-2.

[spidey]

FYI - You cannot repair the pitch mark through the green until AFTER you have dropped. See Rule 13-2.

Note that 13-2 also says you cannot repair the pitch mark AFTER you have dropped if it is on your line of play to the hole.

[Golfpeasant]

Thanks. I am also infering from this that if it is imbedded in rough (ie: NOT closely mown area), its tough luck...hit or take an unplayable.

[Colby]

That is correct!