16.3 Embedded Ball

a. When Relief Is Allowed

Relief is allowed only when your ball is embedded in the general area. But if your ball is embedded on the putting green, you may mark the spot of your ball, lift and clean it, repair the damage, and replace your ball on its original spot.

Exceptions – When Relief Not Allowed for Ball Embedded in General Area:

• When your ball is embedded in sand in a part of the general area that is not cut to fairway height or less, or

• When interference by anything other than your ball being embedded makes your stroke clearly unreasonable (for example, when you are unable to make a stroke because of where your ball lies in a bush).

Your ball is embedded only if it is in its own pitch-mark made as a result of your previous stroke and part of your ball is below the level of the ground.

b. Relief for Embedded Ball

When your ball is embedded in the general area, you may take free relief by dropping the original ball or another ball as shown in Diagram 16.3b.

Penalty for Playing a Ball from a Wrong Place in Breach of Rule 16.3: General Penalty.

United States Golf Association “Rules and Interpretations” USGA.org 16.3Embedded Ball Rules of Golf 2019