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Rake in or rake out?

dthogey

dthogey

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I've always wondered how courses decide to leave the rakes, either in the sand traps or place them out of the sand traps. I've always thought they should be placed in the bunker. Last weekend a buddy was hindered by a rake, instead of the ball rolling down into a fairway bunker The Rake stopped the ball and left him with a very bad lie on the lip of a bunker in some weedy grass that had not been mowed right next to the bunker. He would of much rather had his ball Roll On Down Into the Bunker and had a decent lie.

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Golf Digest asked the USGA. The response was:

“The short answer is, there is no real right or wrong here,” says Thomas Pagel, Senior Director of Rules at the USGA.

Though there’s not a specific rule about where to put rakes, there is a decision that deals with the issue. It explains that the biggest concern is the rake getting in the way of play. So, don’t leave them inside the bunker along a steep bank, because it could catch someone’s ball. Don’t toss rakes into the middle of bunkers, because you’re just a jerk if you do that. And don’t lay them in front of bunkers, because it could stop someone’s ball from going into the bunker.

“The recommendation is to leave rakes outside of the bunker,” says Pagel. “We always place rakes outside of the bunker and parallel to the line of play for USGA Championships.”
 
There should be a hole dug (pvc pipe the diameter of the rake shaft) around all the bunkers in 4 different spots ... so then the rake could be put in the hole vertically with the rake part of it sticking up in the air. There .... problem solved. You might have rakes sticking up everywhere on the course but they won't come into play. Just like the removable yard markers in the middle of the fairway. They are in your way ... take them out & sit it off to the side ... replace when done. Viola!
 
golfinnut said:
There should be a hole dug (pvc pipe the diameter of the rake shaft) around all the bunkers in 4 different spots ... so then the rake could be put in the hole vertically with the rake part of it sticking up in the air. There .... problem solved. You might have rakes sticking up everywhere on the course but they won't come into play. Just like the removable yard markers in the middle of the fairway. They are in your way ... take them out & sit it off to the side ... replace when done. Viola!
Click to expand...

I've played a course that buried the rakes (vertically) under ground. Press a button and the raked popped up out of the ground so a player could use it.
I think the course installed this system so that its maintenance crew could do their mowing without having to deal with rakes (get off the mower, move rakes etc...).
After a few years, however, the vertical tubes which held the rakes became clogged with debris so the system was abandoned.
 
Rake in. Can’t drive over it then


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PKorf said:
Rake in. Can’t drive over it then


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Click to expand...

Rake out. Don't drive so close to bunkers/greens. :alien:

tenor.gif


Also, if a ball is resting on the rake outside of the bunker, I think there is a rule that can deal with that. If its in the bunker, I think the stupid rules state that it's a penalty if it's moved. Could be wrong, but it makes sense to have them in the dang bunker.
 
I always try to leave the rake out but as close to the lip as i can as long as its not in line with the tee box
 
tpluff said:
Rake out. Don't drive so close to bunkers/greens. :alien:

tenor.gif


Also, if a ball is resting on the rake outside of the bunker, I think there is a rule that can deal with that. If its in the bunker, I think the stupid rules state that it's a penalty if it's moved. Could be wrong, but it makes sense to have them in the dang bunker.
Click to expand...

Lol I saw that video and was cracking up the first time. I like the idea of a rake “holder” or “sleeve to stand it upright but that just makes too much sense


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PKorf said:
Lol I saw that video and was cracking up the first time. I like the idea of a rake “holder” or “sleeve to stand it upright but that just makes too much sense


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Click to expand...

What about a telescoping rake* to put on each cart? Kind of like the things of sand/seed to fill in divots and such.


*Intellectual property of tpluff unless someone else has already come up with and executed this idea.
 
I like racks on the sides of the traps. Not in front or in back. In the trap doesn’t bother me but not my first choice
 
golfinnut said:
There should be a hole dug (pvc pipe the diameter of the rake shaft) around all the bunkers in 4 different spots ... so then the rake could be put in the hole vertically with the rake part of it sticking up in the air. There .... problem solved. You might have rakes sticking up everywhere on the course but they won't come into play. Just like the removable yard markers in the middle of the fairway. They are in your way ... take them out & sit it off to the side ... replace when done. Viola!
Click to expand...

I played a course that had this set up for the rakes a few weeks ago. It was the first time I've ever seen it but thought it was pretty smart.

For the OP, I've always placed rakes near the outside lip of the bunker.
 
I usually put them back where I found them, which at most courses I've played is in the bunker. Have never really thought about it that much I guess, but I like the USGA's thought on parallel to the line of play outside the bunker. I think I'll start using that.

I like the idea of storing them vertically, but I think that would be unbelievably ugly since rakes are a lot taller than yardage posts.
 
Out for sure....
 
Our course leaves them out, parallel to the fairway. I do play a local course that tells you to leave them in bunker.
 
tpluff said:
Also, if a ball is resting on the rake outside of the bunker, I think there is a rule that can deal with that. If its in the bunker, I think the stupid rules state that it's a penalty if it's moved. Could be wrong, but it makes sense to have them in the dang bunker.
Click to expand...

Not correct.

You are free to move a movable obstruction, which a rake is, anywhere on the course. If the ball moves as a result of moving the obstruction, there is no penalty and the ball is replaced. For safety's sake, you should always mark the position of the ball before doing so, since if you can't identify the exact position of the ball, you'll be unable to replace it and will have to drop instead.
 
In the bunker!! Makes it easier for your maintenance staff!
 
The correct answer is wherever the super wants them to be. Some like them in, some like them out. Some want just the times in. Putting them where you think they should go is not the right answer.

Best would be for there to be a sign in the pro shop and on the carts. Not that anyone would read them anyway since people claim to not know any of the other course rules.

If you know who the super is, ask them what they want. The pro shop people may or may not know.
 
I’ve always thought they went on the side away from the fairway, but never in front or behind the trap so the ball wouldn’t be “stopped”
 
Rake head in, handle out on the edge. It puts the least amount of rake in a position to impede a ball.
 
Phil75070 said:
Golf Digest asked the USGA. The response was:

“The short answer is, there is no real right or wrong here,” says Thomas Pagel, Senior Director of Rules at the USGA.

Though there’s not a specific rule about where to put rakes, there is a decision that deals with the issue. It explains that the biggest concern is the rake getting in the way of play. So, don’t leave them inside the bunker along a steep bank, because it could catch someone’s ball. Don’t toss rakes into the middle of bunkers, because you’re just a jerk if you do that. And don’t lay them in front of bunkers, because it could stop someone’s ball from going into the bunker.

“The recommendation is to leave rakes outside of the bunker,” says Pagel. “We always place rakes outside of the bunker and parallel to the line of play for USGA Championships.”
Click to expand...

Well that makes sense then.
 
I've always thought they should be placed in the bunker, but the article's suggestion for outside and parallel to line of play makes sense to me. Regardless, I go with whatever the course prefers.
 
Out of course, just outside pretty much anywhere, no big deal, but never in the bunker, that's silly.
 
I put the rake in the bunker, on the side of the bunker, with about a foot of the rake handle outside the bunker.
 
wadesworld said:
Not correct.

You are free to move a movable obstruction, which a rake is, anywhere on the course. If the ball moves as a result of moving the obstruction, there is no penalty and the ball is replaced. For safety's sake, you should always mark the position of the ball before doing so, since if you can't identify the exact position of the ball, you'll be unable to replace it and will have to drop instead.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that clarification, figured if I said something about the rules it'd get your attention.
So, for arguments sake, what happens if you aren't able to replace the ball exactly where it was? Like it is resting on a rake on a slope in the bunker and rolls toward the hole when replaced?
 
I always make a point to place the rake outside the bunker along the edge parallel to the fairway that is farthest from the hole (i.e right side green side bunker, rake gets placed to the right side of the bunker.) This way (with certain exceptions like a steep slope) the rake won't interfere with a ball going into the bunker or prevent one from going out.
 
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