The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.
My second shot on a par-5 embedded into the front lip of a bunker. At least half of the ball was embedded into the grass lip, but part of it was definitely touching the sand. Is this ball considered embedded, or in the bunker and played as it lies? – Nick Monti, via email
Both. The ball is in its own pitch-mark made by the previous stroke and below the surface of the ground, so it is indeed embedded. But it’s also touching sand, so it lies in the bunker — here, we point you to Rule 12.1 — and relief for an embedded ball is not allowed when the ball is in a bunker (or even when in the general area but embedded in sand in an area not cut to fairway height or less).
Ergo, per Rule 16.3 and definition of embedded, you need to play it as it lies or take an unplayable.
For more bunker-related guidance from our guru, read on …
The deer around my home course often run through the bunkers. Charming… but can I smooth the tracks if my ball comes to rest in a hoofprint? – Shay Ballard, Prescott, Ariz.
While deer tracks may, er, tick us off, you can’t smooth them, because smoothing isn’t allowed if it improves the conditions affecting the stroke — aka CATS.
Even if Model Local Rule F-13, which treats damage by animal hoofs (or paws) as ground under repair, is in effect, you still wouldn’t be allowed to smooth but would get a free drop instead. We will discuss deer droppings another time.
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Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.
