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Rule question: Ball in unrepaired deep footprint in bunker ...

Most days just playing a round with friends or for practice I would lift rake and drop....competitive rounds play it as it lies.
 
We get the deer and coyotes running thru our bunkers and some are pretty deep footprints. Depends on who you're playing with,I usually ask..if it's just the weekend guys and most of the time it's ok to move it over.
 
ddec said:
It happens to me more times than I'd like to think. I say most of the time I try to hit it out even if I know it's not possible. I do move it out sometimes though and do exactly what you did.
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Same here. I look at it as a chance to try something different. I don't have a place to practice difficult bunker shots. I'd try and play it.
 
Is it not a rule to rake the bunker? so in a competitive round the bunker should of been raked no?????
 
the boss said:
Is it not a rule to rake the bunker? so in a competitive round the bunker should of been raked no?????
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If I remember correctly, it's not officially a rule, just proper etiquette.
 
the boss said:
Is it not a rule to rake the bunker? so in a competitive round the bunker should of been raked no?????
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Nope, no rule about it. The only way that a rule might apply is if it is done deliberately to cause trouble for players following, and even then, how can a player know that those behind him will hit into that bunker, or into his footprint? It's an etiquette issue only. As mentioned above, rakes were only introduced about 60 years ago.

A bunker is a hazard - there aren't supposed to be any guarantees.
 
When this happens I lift, rake, and drop.

I also do this in bunkers that have been left for dead. IMO everyone should do this in winter golf.


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Would the following rule be brought into play during a comp?
Rule 33-7 - Disqualification Penalty; Committee Discretion

A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted.
Any penalty less than disqualification must not be waived or modified.
If a Committee considers that a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette, it may impose a penalty of disqualification under this Rule.

I'd say not raking a bunker in a comp is a serious breach of ettiquette.
 
Same exact thing happened to me a few months ago during a friendly round with 2 of my buddies.
I played it out of a deep footprint that was right next to the lip just to see if I could get it out.
Did manage to pop it out but went right into another bunker in front of me.
Never know when it might happen again....why not try it?
 
I had this happen in a tournament once and played it as it lied, Did the Travino method of hacking just behind it like an axe chop--which does get it out fine--just blew the green and took 2 strokes to get it down from there. The problem is that our competition round is played on a public course behind general public--so it was not a fellow competitor that did this to me as I was one of the first groups. For this type of senario I would like to see a rule for that tournament--for example when the ground had cracks in it due to weather we had a rule to provide relief.

Casual round--rake and replace.
 
Play golf how ever you want. The rules are the rules and its a hazard, no touchy. I play the course the way I find it, bad breaks and all
 
the boss said:
Would the following rule be brought into play during a comp?
Rule 33-7 - Disqualification Penalty; Committee Discretion

A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted.
Any penalty less than disqualification must not be waived or modified.
If a Committee considers that a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette, it may impose a penalty of disqualification under this Rule.

I'd say not raking a bunker in a comp is a serious breach of ettiquette.
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That just isn't going to apply unless he is stomping through bunkers just to leave footprints, even when his ball isn't in them. To invoke this rule the breach of etiquette has to be almost criminal. Just leaving a few footprints in a bunker doesn't qualify. It's aimed more at such things as deliberately and repeatedly making noise or moving around during someone's backswing for the sole purpose of disrupting that players swing. I've never seen it applied in the more than 20 years I've played competitions.
 
In a practice round, rake it, move it, drop it, whatever. In competition, play it as it lies.
 
Personally, I don't see the benefit to raking and dropping.

If it would have cost you 2 strokes in a competition, what's the benefit to removing those strokes from a practice round? Isn't the extra experience of playing that difficult shot worth more than giving yourself some strokes so you feel better?

Just my opinion..
 
Bullfrog said:
Was it a bunker or the waste area they let you drive in?
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It was greenside..although I think anything there is a waste bunker!
 
Not sure it's ever happened to me. I do know that not-raking bunkers happens everywhere though. My club has some people that choose not to play nice.
 
I agree with most. If I'm playing a competitive round or a round I'm posting, I play it as it lies. If I'm playing a casual practice round, I rake and drop.

Pisses me off that people don't rake though. Bad golf karma for sure.
 
inthehole said:
I play public muni courses and often people either don't know or don't care about properly fixing footprints in bunkers. It finally happened last time out ... my ball wound up in a 4 inch deep footprint. Someone didn't even make an attempt to rake their footprints. Simply no humanly way possible to get the ball reliably out from that kind of lie. Now, I know we have to play it as it lies, but comon, why should I be penalized for someone else's carelessness ? I moved the ball a few inches over on the flat sand ... no way I was gonna let somebody else's carelessness potentially ruin my round (that lie was so bad I could realistically see it costing me several strokes that I shouldn't have had to lose). Those footprints were so deep it took me a couple minutes to rake it all out properly so the next guy wouldn't have to deal with it.

If this has ever happened to you, do you just chock it up laddy as the rub of the green or better your lie ?
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Unfortunately, yes. I play it as it lies & I cuss a lot.
I figure I need to learn to deal with life's unfair practices.
 
JConn said:
I agree with most. If I'm playing a competitive round or a round I'm posting, I play it as it lies. If I'm playing a casual practice round, I rake and drop.

Pisses me off that people don't rake though. Bad golf karma for sure.
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I agree. It pisses me off but not much different than a bunch of other crappy breaks you can get during a round.
 
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