Hi Linda,
Could you please give a clarification of the "Embedded Ball' rule according to the USGA?
We have some confusion as to where we get relief. The confusion seems to be with the terms…THRU THE GREEN and…CLOSELY MOWN AREAS.
Do you take relief off the fairway? Do you get relief in the woods that are within bounds of the golf course?
Thanks,
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
The embedded ball rule states that you may lift, clean, and drop a ball that was embedded in a closely mown area through the green. The ball must be dropped as near as possible to where it was embedded, no closer to the hole [Rule 25-2].
The Rule goes on to explain that a “closely mown area” is any area of the course cut to fairway height or less. This means all fairways, aprons around the green, and dew paths (that’s when there is an area of rough between the tee and the fairway through which a path is mowed so golfers can walk without slogging through tall grasses or whatnot).
Basically, if your ball is embedded anywhere but on a fairway, apron or dew path, you do not get free relief.
When course conditions are so wet that the Committee decides to allow golfers free relief from an embedded ball that lies “through the green,” they may adopt the Local Rule that allows such relief [Appendix I, Part B, 4a]. Therefore, you must learn the meaning of “through the green” to understand your rights.
“Through the green” means the whole area of the course except the teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played and all hazards. (When you read the embedded ball rule, you will notice that the words “through the green” are written in italics. Every time a word or expression appears in italics in the rulebook, that means that you can find the meaning of that term in the Definitions section located in the front of the book.)
Armed with the definition of “through the green” and the explanation of “closely mown areas,” you can now understand that you are entitled to free relief for a ball that is embedded in a fairway, an apron, or a dew path. You must drop your ball as close as possible to where it was embedded.
You are only entitled to relief for a ball that is embedded in the rough (the woods are in the rough) if the Local Rule has been put into effect. You are never entitled to free relief for a ball embedded in a hazard, because hazards are not “through the green.”
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
