Ball plugs in soggy fairway, disappears

[Mattplusness]

Originally Posted by Motley01

Ball is plugged is a free drop, and relief from standing water also.

It's a free drop? Nice.

This happened to me a few weeks ago where I landed behind a tree on a par 4 with 160 left. I used my lob wedge and played it really forward in my stance and it went higher than it did long. The ball sunk 2 inches in the fairway. Nice to know I didn't cheat myself.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Mattplusness

It's a free drop? Nice.

This happened to me a few weeks ago where I landed behind a tree on a par 4 with 160 left. I used my lob wedge and played it really forward in my stance and it went higher than it did long. The ball sunk 2 inches in the fairway. Nice to know I didn't cheat myself.

You only get relief in closely mowed parts of the course, meaning essentially fairway and fringe.  In the rough you play it as it lies.

[Paradox]

follow up

whats the procedure if I suddenly find myself in a quicksand fairway and I'm sinking second by second?  Do I get relief?

[MEfree]

Originally Posted by Paradox

follow up

whats the procedure if I suddenly find myself in a quicksand fairway and I'm sinking second by second?  Do I get relief?

Definitely, if you sink all the way, you are guaranteed never to hit a bad shot on this planet again.

[Dormie1360]

FYI,

http://www.usga.org/RulesFAQ/rules_answer.asp?FAQidx=103&Rule;=25

So, if it doesn't meet the definition of GUR, it would be lost.......which is what I think everyone said.

If the fairway was wet enough to meet the definition of casual water, then you could get relief for a lost ball in GUR.

I will say, I'm not sure how easy the ruling would be....., you don't know exactly where the ball is, and you were trying to apply 25-1c.  You have to have an idea where it last crossed the margin of the casual water.   When dealing with a fairway that has large areas of casual water......and a ball you can not find.....seems like a little bit of a head scratcher.

[ghalfaire]

I read these with interest as the "home" course has one hole where at least once a year it will be closed for a couple of days in the rainy season.  When it is closed, we just take a net par and move on.  But when it is again open for play there usually is a day or two immediately after it opens you can end up with a plugged ball off the tee.  If it cannot be found and the round is a competitive or handicap round it is (obviously) a lost ball and should be played that way.  So fourputt had it right in his first post.  I know in "fun" rounds many of our members don't play that way but it is the "by the rules" way to proceed.  BTW this is a rare occurrence and I can only remember one instance over the years where I couldn't find a ball that all of us saw land in the fairway.