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Justification for not using rake?

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18Reasons

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I was reading through the thread about removing the rakes from sand hazards. There were (rightly so) many comments about inconsiderate people that do not use the rakes.
Is there ever a justification for not raking?
I play mostly mid level courses and at least one of them seems to not maintain their sand traps at all. When I land in the trap it is a mixture of sand and gravel that makes me not want to use my club for fear of damaging it on the rocks.
Sometimes it is so hard packed that you hardly leave a footprint or has deep ruts from erosion. I have often thought that the spot I rake ends up being better maintained than any other part of the trap.

If the course does not care about their sand is it ever justified for the golfer not to care about their sand?
 
18Reasons said:
If the course does not care about their sand is it ever justified for the golfer not to care about their sand?
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I don't think so because it is not about caring for the courses sand, it's about being respectful to your fellow golfers.
 
Id say generally no, but there are exceptions.

A bunker that is so ungrooms where as it no longer really matters.
One that is very hard and doesn't even leave a footprint.
One that is too muddy.
And believe it or not at given times that pace is an issue an finding or going to get a rake is just too timely and so a decent snowing with foot will have to do.

But 97% of the time. Imo make the effort to rake the darn thing. There is not normally an excuse.
 
My home course's bunkers are in great shape. I would never even think of not racking them. Leave the course better than you found it.
 
I will admit, yesterday I did not rake a trap.

There was a bobcat sitting next to it (it was a long trap) and the only available rake he was sitting next to. He did have an inviting look in his eye, like "hey big boy, come over here and try to pet me". I ignored the twinkle in his eyes and moved on to the next hole.
 
So wildlife aside :D, there's no reason I can think of to not rake if the bunkers are in reasonable shape. Same as fixing pitch marks on the green. It's just respectful to your fellow golfers.

Now for courses like the OP discusses, if they're that bad, we'll generally drop outside the bunker or do a lift rake & place.
 
JonD said:
So wildlife aside :D, there's no reason I can think of to not rake if the bunkers are in reasonable shape. Same as fixing pitch marks on the green. It's just respectful to your fellow golfers.
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Friend I play golf with worked at a private course for about 3 years and always told me the unwritten rule is to repair your ball mark and one other one. Always stuck with this.
 
tucsoncacti said:
I will admit, yesterday I did not rake a trap.

There was a bobcat sitting next to it (it was a long trap) and the only available rake he was sitting next to. He did have an inviting look in his eye, like "hey big boy, come over here and try to pet me". I ignored the twinkle in his eyes and moved on to the next hole.
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I mean really? what the worst that could happen? A little nick to your jugular, an eye scratched out, a chunk taken out of your left testicle,..........I mean c'mon man, take one for the group and rake the bunker! :D
 
JonD said:
So wildlife aside :D, there's no reason I can think of to not rake if the bunkers are in reasonable shape. Same as fixing pitch marks on the green. It's just respectful to your fellow golfers.

Now for courses like the OP discusses, if they're that bad, we'll generally drop outside the bunker or do a lift rake & place.
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You know whats funny is I was walking to the bunker, and I was just talking to myself about the thing I need to do to avoid the classic two shots out routine. My head was down, making sure the grooves of the club were clean, look up as I am about to walk around the backside of the trap which sits next to the desert, and there he is just looking at me with a half cock to his head. So I stop (I am about 5 feet from him) slowly back up talking to him, go around the other side of the bunker (the easier way was where I was heading) and proceed to take two shots out of the bunker since my back was to him. I kinda wish I would have received some type of bobcat meow when I messed up my rushed first shot.

Also I live on the course, and this hole is about 300 yards from my house, maybe a wee bit further, and I have seen the creature in my backyard a few times. He/She (I keep calling the bobcat a him) is about as stealthy of a cat I have ever seen. Always walking very slowly and meticulously.
 
To me, the simple answer is no, the same as repairing your pitchmark, it is course etiquette

Only time I would even consider not raking is if the bunker is classed as GUR, as nobody would be playing out of it anyway and the course are obviously working on them
 
I'll admit the one thing I'm lazy on is dropping a scoop of sand on fairway divots
 
tucsoncacti said:
I will admit, yesterday I did not rake a trap.

There was a bobcat sitting next to it (it was a long trap) and the only available rake he was sitting next to. He did have an inviting look in his eye, like "hey big boy, come over here and try to pet me". I ignored the twinkle in his eyes and moved on to the next hole.
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I want to see where you play! I remember your partner getting bit by a rattlesnake and now a bobcat guarding the bunker. Hopefully course rules allow a free drop for bobcats and rattlers.
 
I will sometimes do a quick "rake with the foot" way of raking of the bunker ... especially when I hit a bad shot out! HA!

If the bunkers aren't really maintained by the course, then I for the most part don't rake it either. Especially this time of year. But 90% of the time I will rake it out of common courtesy ... just cause I can't stand it when I get in a deep cavern of a footprint that someone forgot to rake.
 
The only time I don't intentionally rake a bunker is because of poor maintenance, sadly it happens all the time at my course. 2 bunkers in particular are close to Oak trees that drop acorns in it all the time, the deer trample the bunkers overnight and if they're not raked by the time I come through I'm not wasting my time fixing it.
 
TonyB said:
I want to see where you play! I remember your partner getting bit by a rattlesnake and now a bobcat guarding the bunker. Hopefully course rules allow a free drop for bobcats and rattlers.
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This pic is from a while ago, it has now grown in with desert vegetation. The across arrow is where the bobcat was sitting, the down arrow is where my ball was, the trap wraps around that tallest tree.

The snake bite incident was in Dove Mountain (Former home of the WGC match play) and just one look at that place, you just knew it was snake heaven. Tons of rocks and hiding places. Although the one we saw was out in the open, the one that bit our group member actually kinda jumped in the cart and tagged him as they were driving by.

9135.jpg
 
tucsoncacti said:
I will admit, yesterday I did not rake a trap.

There was a bobcat sitting next to it (it was a long trap) and the only available rake he was sitting next to. He did have an inviting look in his eye, like "hey big boy, come over here and try to pet me". I ignored the twinkle in his eyes and moved on to the next hole.
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It’s just an overgrown house cat man. Just throw some catnip at him and scratch his tummy.
 
to me, an unmaintained bunker is not a bunker, it's a waste area
 
Speaking of unmaintained. 2 of the courses I play, 1 public 1 private, don't maintain their bunkers like they used to. They rarely fluff them and the one(private) hardly ever adds any sand. Consequently, that leads to a lot of unraked bunker shots and footprints.

I always attempt to rake, but sometimes it's just a waste of time.
 
Take care of the course everytime and everyday.
 
My home course has done a fantastic job with keeping the bunkers filled with good fluffy sand and also keeping them well manicured. It would never cross my mind to not rake. Even when others do not I will still try to rake it and make it better than when I found it
 
I believe in leaving the course in better shape than I found it. I don’t think there is ever justification for not taking the trap.
 
Even if a bunker appears to not be maintained I’ll rake as much as possible to help the next golfer. I’m in agreement with all of those that suggest you leave traps, greens and the rest of the course in better condition than you found it. By filling extra divots, fixing one or two ball marks on the greens and over raking traps you are setting a good example for the next golfer.
 
As the pro at my course would say, “Don’t hit your ball in the hazards!”
 
I’ve only not used a rake once. It was because the rakes had fiberglass handles and were so destroyed by the sun that I got splinters in both hands. One hole of that and I was done.
 
tucsoncacti said:
This pic is from a while ago, it has now grown in with desert vegetation. The across arrow is where the bobcat was sitting, the down arrow is where my ball was, the trap wraps around that tallest tree.

The snake bite incident was in Dove Mountain (Former home of the WGC match play) and just one look at that place, you just knew it was snake heaven. Tons of rocks and hiding places. Although the one we saw was out in the open, the one that bit our group member actually kinda jumped in the cart and tagged him as they were driving by.

View attachment 30385
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Haven't played Dove Mountain in years but will play a couple of rounds there next month so thanks for the reminder. Have to remember to bring a couple of extra balls ;)
 
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