What Is a Plugged Lie in Golf?
A plugged lie is when your ball lands and sinks into the ground or sand, sitting in its own pitch mark instead of on top of the surface. The rules call it an embedded ball. When it happens in a bunker, with a ring of sand thrown up round the ball, golfers call it a fried egg.
Where your ball plugs makes a big difference. On grass you usually get free relief. In a bunker you don't.
Why balls plug
A ball plugs when it comes down steeply onto soft ground. The usual causes are:
- High shots from wedges and short irons, which land at a steep angle.
- Wet or soft turf, after rain or heavy watering.
- Soft, fluffy sand in a bunker, especially on the steep face.
- Long carries that drop from a height with little forward speed.
Low, running shots rarely plug, because they hit the ground at a shallow angle and keep moving.
The fried egg
In a bunker, a plugged ball leaves a crater: a white ring of displaced sand around a ball that's half buried in the middle. From above it looks like an egg in a frying pan, which is where the name comes from.
The deeper the ball sits, the harder the shot.
The rules: when you get free relief
Under Rule 16.3 of the current Rules of Golf, a ball is embedded when it's in its own pitch mark, made by the shot you just played, and part of the ball is below the level of the ground.
| Where the ball plugs | Free relief? | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| General area (fairway or rough) | Yes, in most cases | Drop within one club-length of the spot right behind the ball, no nearer the hole |
| Bunker | No | Play it as it lies, or take unplayable ball relief with a penalty |
| Penalty area | No | Play it as it lies, or take penalty area relief |
| Putting green | No relief needed | Mark, lift, repair the pitch mark and replace the ball |
There are a few exceptions in the general area, for example when the ball is plugged in sand in an area that isn't cut to fairway height, and committees can change things with local rules. Free relief is also only for a ball in its own pitch mark: a ball that rolls into someone else's old mark doesn't count.
Before 2019, relief through the green was usually only for a ball plugged in a closely mown area, unless a local rule extended it. Now it covers the whole general area by default.
For your options in the sand, see what is a bunker in golf.
How to play a fried egg
With a normal bunker shot you slide an open clubface under the ball. That won't work from a fried egg: the club bounces off the sand and the ball barely moves. Instead:
- Square or slightly close the clubface so the leading edge can dig.
- Move the ball back a little in your stance.
- Put more weight on your front foot.
- Swing steeply and hit down into the sand just behind the ball, as if you were going to bury the club.
- Don't expect much spin. The ball will come out lower and run a long way, so aim to land it well short of the hole.
The goal from a bad fried egg is simply to get out. Getting the ball onto the green, anywhere, is a good result. There's more bunker technique in how to hit out of a bunker.
Try it in Mashy
Plugged lies happen in Mashy too. Hit a high shot into a bunker and it can plug as a fried egg, which costs distance on the next shot. Lower, flatter approaches are less likely to bury, though a shot that's too low can catch the bunker lip and roll back in, so pick your height carefully. Salty Links, with its pot bunkers, is the place to practise.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called a fried egg in golf?
When a ball plugs in a bunker, it sits in the middle of a small crater with a ring of sand thrown up round it. From above, the white ball surrounded by a raised ring looks like the yolk of a fried egg in the pan, so golfers named the lie after it.
Do you get a free drop for a plugged ball?
In the general area, which includes the fairway and rough, you usually do. If the ball is in its own pitch mark, you can drop within one club-length of the spot right behind it, no nearer the hole. There's no free relief for a plugged ball in a bunker or penalty area.
Can you take relief from a plugged lie in a bunker?
Not for free. Under the Rules of Golf you either play the ball as it lies or declare it unplayable, which costs one penalty stroke for a drop in the bunker or two for a drop outside it. Some committees bring in local rules, but that's rare.
What club should you use for a fried egg lie?
Many players use a sand wedge with the face squared or slightly closed, so the leading edge digs. Others prefer a pitching wedge or lob wedge for the same reason. Whatever club you pick, swing steeply into the sand behind the ball and expect it to come out low and run.
What is the difference between a plugged lie and an embedded ball?
There isn't one. Plugged lie is the everyday golf term and embedded ball is the official term in the Rules of Golf. Both describe a ball sitting in its own pitch mark with part of it below the level of the ground.