Explaining Plugged Lie In The Rules Of Golf

Golf Monthly

In this video Neil Tappin and Jeremy Ellwood explain your options when you are faced with a plugged lie, or an embedded ball.

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:04 Okay, so 16th hole here at West Hill, incredibly wet recently, very muddy underfoot.

00:10 I've pulled my drive slightly and my ball, Jez, I think is plugged.

00:15 Well, the rules call it embedded, we call it plugged.

00:18 That is definitely embedded.

00:20 And there's a helpful diagram on page 100 of the Players' Edition of the rulebook

00:25 to allow you to determine when it's embedded.

00:27 It actually says when part of your ball is below the level of the ground,

00:30 so the soil has to be impacted in some way.

00:33 It can't just be sitting down in the grass, but at this time of year that we're shooting this,

00:38 there is a lot of soil that the ball would embed in.

00:41 And we both agree that this is a plug.

00:43 This is definitely embedded.

00:44 So in that scenario then, what are my options, what can I do?

00:48 Well, the relief now is available anywhere in what is called the general area,

00:52 so it doesn't just have to be on the fairway.

00:54 Before, in this scenario, it would just be bad luck, wouldn't it?

00:57 If you were playing it friendly, I'd definitely take a drop.

00:59 But if you weren't playing it friendly, I'd have to pay it like.

01:01 In the rough, it was tough luck, I'm afraid.

01:02 But now it's not the case, which is probably a good thing in fairness,

01:05 because you're going to gouge a massive chunk out trying to take a penalty drop.

01:10 And I'm only probably a metre and a half off the fairway.

01:13 A metre and a half off the fairway.

01:14 So now you get relief.

01:16 And the first thing to decide, well, the first thing to point out is that

01:20 the best point for taking relief is to be the spot directly behind where the ball is lying.

01:25 So about there.

01:26 About there.

01:27 And then you get a one club length arc, not nearer the hole from there,

01:31 using your longest club that you're carrying that day, other than the putter.

01:36 So typically the driver.

01:38 So you get an arc that shape, so you've just got to remember that when you're dropping,

01:43 have you dropped it within the arc.

01:45 Within the arc.

01:46 So obviously, the best thing to do is mark it out, isn't it?

01:48 Well, you can do, but you're going to be dropping in a variety, you might choose to drop in a variety.

01:52 So mark it out in the area where you're thinking you're going to drop it.

01:54 Exactly, so in this scenario, I think the driest, best spot is probably over here somewhere.

02:00 So I'd put a second tee in there, get rid of a couple of loose impediments,

02:04 just to make sure they're not in the way.

02:06 You don't have to put these tees in, but it's obviously a very good idea to do so.

02:08 It's a good idea to do it, it just makes it, it just covers you, doesn't it?

02:11 And you'd also want to remove those twigs probably at this point, just to minimise the risk.

02:16 So you'd probably drop it around about there.

02:18 Yeah, look, maybe slightly below knee height, but I'm going to let it go on this occasion.

02:22 Oh, skinny.

02:25 That's going to work.

02:26 You're always going to hit it a bit clean on soft ground, aren't you?

02:30 I wasn't wanting to take a massive divot there.

02:32 Hopefully that gives you an idea about what to do if your ball is embedded,

02:36 especially if it's embedded off the fairway, in an area like this,

02:39 where there's lots of loose impediments, very wet underfoot, as it is at the moment.

02:43 That should give you everything you need to know.

02:46 www.fieggen.com

02:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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