Modern weather is remarkable, isn’t it? We spend much of the year bemoaning parched fairways and then as soon as the leaves start coming off the trees we’re worried about the wet.
Winter rules are back – so to speak – and many of you will be ‘enjoying’ preferred lies and other Local Rules designed to make the oncoming cold, rain, ice, sleet, snow and anything else, a little more bearable over the next few months.
But how far does that hospitality go? Consider this email quandary:
“Our winter golf rules include lift, clean, place within six inches on the fairway; lift, clean and replace ball on the exact spot in the rough. What is the rule if the ball is plugged in a hazard?”
Plugged ball in a hazard: Can I get free relief?
There are times you can get some chunky benefits for adverse weather conditions thanks to some Local Rules found in the Rules of Golf. This isn’t one of those times.
Yes, relief is available for a ball that’s embedded in its own pitch mark. But that only applies when the ball is in the general area. You can also lift and repair on the green too.
When your ball is in a penalty area – which I’m going to assume our emailer is referring to when they are talking about a ‘hazard’ – there is no relief for an embedded ball under Rule 16.3.
Not only that, but you can’t lean on relief from an abnormal course condition or declare an unplayable ball either.
You can take penalty area relief, which will come at a cost of a stroke, or you can get in there, give it the big heave, and pray to the golfing gods.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.
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What do you think of these plugged ball in a hazard rules? Let me you what you think, and send me your own rules questions, by emailing me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or by leaving us a comment below, or on X.
Pictures taken at Sandburn Hall
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