I've played two rounds in a row on aerated greens. I've heard people say that it's an automatic 2-putt, but that's just not true. Also, aeration holes do not qualify as Ground Under Repair. And you're not allowed to repair them on the green, like you would be allowed to repair a pitch mark. So what are my options?
The first rule that came into my head was Rule #14.2-e - If you can't place your ball where you marked it, then you must place it as close as you can to the original spot. But this doesn't really help. If your ball rolls into an aeration hole that it wasn't in previously, then you can place it where it was originally (or as close as you can get). But if your ball was in an aeration hole, then you have to place it back in that aeration hole after you mark it. Not within a couple of inches between the aeration holes, but back in the aeration hole. Sorry.
There's a model local rule for this, but it's not going to help as much as you like. If your course or club puts in a local rule modeled on Model Local Rule E-4. This allows you to treat aeration holes as GUR, except you don't get relief for swing, stance, or (on the green) line of play. So if your ball is in an aeration hole, you can take it out, but you're still going to have aeration holes in the line of your putt. So slightly better, but not really that helpful. But you should still ask your committee to put this local rule in play if the greens have been aerated.
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