We’d all love our bunkers to be stuffed with pearly white gentle sand that strikes apart – like a knife by way of butter – when our sand wedge slides by way of it.
Properly, life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Typically, regardless of everybody’s finest efforts, they appear a bit extra constructing website than seashore.
I’ve taken a bit greater than I can chew off the face of a membership when making affect with a rock in a bunker. It wasn’t simply expensive to my scorecard.
Most of us will know we will take away free impediments in a bunker (thanks Rule 12.2a) however are you allowed to the touch or transfer sand when doing so?
If the stone was near the ball, there’s an opportunity eliminating it should alter the sand and enhance your lie, proper? Is that allowed? Are you able to contact the sand in a bunker? Let’s have a look…
Are you able to contact the sand in a bunker?
There may be simply one thing hard-wired into golfers that makes us nervous once we’re occupied with shifting stuff within the neighborhood of our ball.
However when eradicating a free obstacle from a bunker, you gained’t be penalised for “any cheap touching or motion of the sand within the bunker that occurs whereas doing so”.
In the event you already knew the reply to that, nicely completed you. Now right here comes the $64,000 query. What constitutes cheap?
We all know we will’t intentionally contact sand to check its situation, or to study data for the following stroke, however what’s acceptable when eradicating a rock?
Are you able to shift it with a clubhead – as long as it doesn’t transfer the ball? Can you employ your palms like a toddler bulldozing on a seashore?
There’s a clarification that gives some clues. It says when eradicating a free obstacle from a bunker, sand is commonly moved within the course of and “there isn’t a penalty if this improves situations affecting the stroke if the actions taken to take away the free obstacle… had been cheap”.
It provides the instance of a pine cone being eliminated which improves situations by dragging it away “in a means that additionally removes a mound of sand from the world of their meant swing”.
That is deemed to not be cheap because the participant might have used “a much less intrusive means” to take away the pine cone. The clarification signifies lifting it straight up with out dragging it behind the ball can be acceptable.
You’ll get the overall penalty (two pictures in stroke play or lack of gap in match play) in case your actions aren’t cheap however use your frequent sense, don’t take liberties, and also you’ll usually be all proper.
Obtained a query for our skilled?
Regardless of the modifications to the Guidelines of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are nonetheless some that go away us scratching our heads. I’ll attempt to assist by that includes the perfect of your queries on this column.
What do you concentrate on these sand in a bunker guidelines? Let me you what you suppose, and ship me your individual guidelines questions, by emailing me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or by leaving us a touch upon X.
NOW READ: What can (and may’t) you do in case your ball is in a bunker?
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