What do the principles say about embedded balls off a tee shot?
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Teeing off, I drove my ball utterly underground, eight inches ahead. I stated the ball was embedded, entitling reduction. My opponent stated it was unplayable, necessitating a one-stroke penalty. Guidelines Man says… —Aaron Lowe, by way of electronic mail
…to contemplate a driver with extra loft.
Rule 16.3a(2) says {that a} ball pushed straight into the bottom with out changing into airborne just isn’t embedded, and thus free reduction for an embedded ball isn’t allowed.
That stated, ought to the ball stay inside the teeing space — on the off probability you teed up greater than eight inches behind the markers so your ball is within the floor nonetheless behind the markers — you possibly can raise the ball and tee it up once more anyplace contained in the teeing space with out penalty, hitting 2, underneath Rule 6.2b.
For extra steerage from our guru, learn on …
We now have the world’s most unfair bunker fronting our seventeenth inexperienced. It’s seven toes deep, however that’s the simple half. Formed like a funnel, there’s solely .001 inches of sand sitting on the base. Once I discover myself on this abyss, can I raise my ball as unplayable, rake sand into the bottom from the partitions after which drop my ball for play, one penalty stroke poorer? Thanks for listening. — Invoice Herrick, East Moriches, N.Y.
Guidelines Man at all times tries to be a sympathetic ear, and we have been with you for a second there — if you needed to deal with the ball as unplayable and take penalty reduction. That’s kosher.
However just like the sand in your merciless bunker — “world’s most unfair” absolutely is stretching issues a bit — your request eroded when you contemplated raking the sand the place you propose to drop the ball, which, by bettering your reduction space, is verboten.
You should merely drop the ball underneath one of many 4 choices in Rule 19.3, three of which (stroke and distance, again on the road contained in the bunker, lateral reduction contained in the bunker) price one penalty stroke and the opposite (again on the road of reduction exterior the bunker) two penalty strokes.
Different choices: Strive a sand wedge with much less bounce or discover a new residence course.
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