{"id":15555458,"date":"2025-01-01T19:03:53","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T00:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golf.com\/?post_type=article&p=15555458"},"modified":"2025-01-01T19:03:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T00:03:59","slug":"rules-guy-embedded-ball-unplayable","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/golf.com\/instruction\/rules\/rules-guy-embedded-ball-unplayable\/","title":{"rendered":"Rules Guy: Can an embedded ball be denied free relief?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we\u2019ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back<\/a>. Got a question? He\u2019s got all the answers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teeing off, I drove my ball completely underground, eight inches forward. I said the ball was embedded, entitling relief. My opponent said it was unplayable, necessitating a one-stroke penalty. Rules Guy says… \u2014Aaron Lowe, via email<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n


…to consider a driver with more loft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule 16.3a(2) says that a ball driven straight into the ground without becoming airborne is not embedded, and thus free relief for an embedded ball isn\u2019t allowed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, should the ball remain within the teeing area \u2014 on the off chance you teed up more than eight inches behind the markers so your ball is in the ground still behind the markers \u2014 you can lift the ball and tee it up again anywhere inside the teeing area without penalty, hitting 2, under Rule 6.2b.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more guidance from our guru, read on …<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\n \n Rules <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \"embedded <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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Rules Guy: Can you take embedded-ball relief from the bank of an unmarked lake?<\/a><\/blockquote>\n By:<\/span>\n \n \n Rules Guy <\/a>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

We have the world\u2019s most unfair bunker fronting our 17th green. It\u2019s seven feet deep, but that\u2019s the easy part. Shaped like a funnel, there\u2019s only .001 inches of sand sitting at the base. When I find myself in this abyss, can I lift my ball as unplayable, rake sand into the base from the walls and then drop my ball for play, one penalty stroke poorer? Thanks for listening.<\/strong> \u2014 Bill Herrick, East Moriches, N.Y.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rules Guy always tries to be a sympathetic ear, and we were with you for a moment there \u2014 when you wanted to treat the ball as unplayable and take penalty relief. That\u2019s kosher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But like the sand in your cruel bunker \u2014 \u201cworld\u2019s most unfair\u201d surely is stretching things a bit \u2014 your request eroded once you contemplated raking the sand where you plan to drop the ball, which, by improving your relief area, is verboten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to simply drop the ball under one of the four options in Rule 19.3, three of which (stroke and distance, back on the line inside the bunker, lateral relief inside the bunker) cost one penalty stroke and the other (back on the line of relief outside the bunker) two penalty strokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other options: Try a sand wedge with less bounce or find a new home course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need help unriddling the greens at your home course? Pick up a custom Green Book<\/a> from Golf Logix.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won\u2019t throw the book at you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do you do if your tee shot results in an embedded ball? Can you get free relief or take an unplayable? Rules Guy has the answer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15504086,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-12-24T13:50:13Z","apple_news_api_id":"6dea5757-cb47-47e3-8932-6db56cfb912b","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-01-02T00:04:03Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AbepXV8tHR-OJMm21bPuRKw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[52],"tags":[61891],"class_list":["post-15555458","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rules","tag-rulesguy"],"acf":{"art_author":[{"ID":14046396,"post_author":"235","post_date":"2018-02-10 16:33:43","post_date_gmt":"2018-02-10 16:33:43","post_content":"","post_title":"Rules Guy","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rules-guy-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2018-02-10 16:33:43","post_modified_gmt":"2018-02-10 16:33:43","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.golf.com\/?post_type=golf_person&p=14046396","menu_order":0,"post_type":"contributor","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"art_source":"None","tee_time_button_status":false,"article_template":"standard","featured_image_caption":"What do the rules say about embedded balls off a tee shot?","featured_image_credits":"Getty Images","wsum-gated-content":false,"wsotp_enable_one_time_payment":false,"allow_instaread_integration":false,"ad_meta":false},"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nCan an embedded ball be denied free relief? 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