Linda, my ball
was embedded in the face of a bunker and part of the ball was in the face and part
was in the sand. The part in the face was beneath newly-planted sod. The sod
was not on the face but above the ball. We have adopted the local rule of
applying embedded ball rule through the green. So if any part of the ball is
touching the through-the-green area do you get the free drop? Or if part of the
embedded ball is clearly in the bunker do you have a ball embedded in the bunker?
This was my actual case but then I also wondered if ball lies part in and part
out of the bunker and is not embedded is the ball in the bunker or out so can
you ground your club?
Thanks,
Lou from Florida
Dear Lou,
The answer is in the Definition of “Bunker,” which states
that “a ball is in a bunker when it lies in or any part of it touches the bunker.” Thus, a ball that is embedded
partially in the face and partially in the sand is deemed to be in the bunker –
you get no free relief for a ball embedded in a bunker. You may not ground
your club in the bunker when your ball lies in a bunker, but you are permitted to ground your club outside the bunker to hit a ball that lies in a bunker [Decision 13-4/29].
Linda
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