From Laurie:
“Re: embedded ball, I thought I’d pass along a reminder that Appendix I, 4.1 offers a Local Rule allowing an embedded ball to be lifted ‘through the green’, which means in the rough, too. The MWGA (Minnesota Womens Golf Association) Hard Card contains this Local Rule, and I’m told it’s fairly universally adopted.”
When the conditions of the course are such that a ball becomes embedded in its own pitch-mark, what do you do? Lift, clean and …..
I was so sure I knew the answer, but I was wrong. I have to quote the whole rule in order for you to get the complete picture. From the USGA Rules of Golf, Rule 25-2 says: “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. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green. ‘Closely mown area’ means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.”
Can you invoke the embedded ball in the rough? No. The rough is not a “closely mown area.”
What is “through the green?” It is the whole area of the course except the teeing ground, the putting green of the hole being played and all hazards on the course.
Is there a penalty for lifting an embedded ball? No, as long as you proceed according to the rules (as stated above).