Hello Linda,
I have just taken up golf - I live in the state of South
Australia.
Last week I put my ball into a sand bunker (I think you call
them traps in the U.S.). The ball ended up resting against the sand rake inside
the bunker.
What should I have done? We were not keeping score, but I
would like to know anyway.
I moved the rake, ensuring the ball did not move, and then
managed to use my sand wedge to hit it up onto the green…which I was pleased
about.
Thank you for a great blog, by the way.
Lulu from Lenswood,
South Australia
Dear Lulu,
A rake is a movable
obstruction. You are entitled to lift it. If your ball moves, you must replace
it, no penalty [Rule 24-1a].
I’m a little
concerned by what you mean when you say: “I moved the rake, ensuring the ball did not move.” You
may not hold the ball in place while you remove the rake. If you suspect the
ball may move, and you want to be sure to remember exactly where it was, you
may mark the position of the ball before you remove the rake. Marking is not a
requirement, but it is a procedure I generally recommend – it saves confusion
and arguments about where to replace the ball.
If the ball will not stay put when you replace it, place it
on the nearest spot in the bunker, no closer to the hole, where it will remain
at rest. If no such spot exists (this will happen on a downslope at the back of
the bunker), you will have to drop outside the bunker (behind it on the
line-of-sight to the hole), and add a one-stroke penalty to your score. Because
of the possibility of this unfortunate and undeserved penalty, please avoid
dropping the rake in the back of the bunker on a course that requests that you
place rakes in the bunker.
Incidentally, bunkers are called “bunkers” everywhere.
“Trap” is a colloquial and popular but inaccurate term for a “bunker.”
Have fun learning the game! I’m very glad to see a new
golfer interested in learning the Rules.
Linda
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