I had a similar experience - tee shot on a par 3 with water infront. My ball plugged infront of the green, about 10 yards short. Only about 1/2 inch of the ball was showing, but the ground was quite soft, but not squishy. I pulled my SW and hit as hard as I could into the bank. All I saw was mud come up and when I asked where my ball ended up, they pointed towards the cup - I was 4 inches short!