Ball embedded in the lip of the hole - what's the ruling?

Hole in one or no hole in one - what's the golf rule here? 

Andy Roberts's picture
Sun, 22 Jul 2018

Hole in one, or no hole in one?! Well, in this instance the ball is not holed as it remains above the level of the lip of the hole.

Here's what our rules guru has to say on this photograph...

No hole in one.

Definition of Hole: a ball is 'holed' when it is at rest within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole.

The player must mark and lift their ball and, in the unlikely event that a member of the Committee is on hand, request that the hole (and in the right hand photo, the hole liner) is repaired. Otherwise, the player may repair the damage as best they can, without penalty. The ball must then be replaced on the lip and putted out. Decision 16-1a/6 clarifies the procedure for a player when a hole is damaged.