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Rules Question Sand Trap

Golf/OCD

Golf/OCD

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Was playing this weekend and someone said they thought if you hit the sand in your back swing it was a one stroke penalty.

My "opinion" was if you continue the swing it is not if however you stop the swing process then it would be

Same as if in a hazard??


What say you

Thanks
 
• You may not touch any sand in the bunker on your backswing before making your stroke (Decision 13-4/31). This can sometimes be very difficult when your ball lies at the back of a steeply-sloped bunker. It might even mean playing out sideways or backwards to avoid the penalty of two strokes or loss of hole.

• You may not touch any loose impediments in the bunker with you club other than when you make your stroke, which commences with the forward motion of the club made with the intention of striking the ball. Loose impediments are anything natural, including divots, loose moss, leaves, twigs, stones, etc. (Rule 13-4c). Of course, you may touch stones if there is a Local Rule permitting the removal of stones from bunkers. You may also move loose impediments in order to find or identify a ball that is believed to be lost in a bunker, but they must be replaced if the ball is found or identified in that bunker (Rule 12-1b).
 
Doesn't matter if you finish your swing or not, still a penalty.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
I stand corrected, doesn't seem right but good to know

I just beat him by another two strokes :banana:
 
Golf/OCD said:
I stand corrected, doesn't seem right but good to know

I just beat him by another two strokes :banana:
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FWIW, you can't contact fixed impediments either. Which can be really hard when playing a course that has tall fescue roped off with red stakes. Really hard to make a swing without touching the tall grass.
 
Golf has some stupid freaking rules.
 
blugold said:
FWIW, you can't contact fixed impediments either. Which can be really hard when playing a course that has tall fescue roped off with red stakes. Really hard to make a swing without touching the tall grass.
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Growing grass is not a loose impediment, either in a hazard or a bunker. You may touch it during your swing. However, you cannot ground your club and you have to be careful there are no loose impediments in the grass, if you're going to touch it before making your stroke.
 
blugold said:
Why is it stupid? Its supposed to be difficult and a punishment to be in a bunker.
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If you hit the back wall of a bunker on your backswing and it has no impact on your ball position, why should it be a penalty? It likely hurts your shot anyway, and I see no circumstance where it would help. I honestly don't understand most penalties in golf. Hitting into the water is its own penalty...why assess another stroke? I play by the rules, but think a lot of them are stupid.
 
Annhl8rX said:
If you hit the back wall of a bunker on your backswing and it has no impact on your ball position, why should it be a penalty? It likely hurts your shot anyway, and I see no circumstance where it would help.
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The problem most people have with the rules is they take one small corner case and use that as their basis for declaring the entire as stupid. The rule has to cover almost every imaginable scenario. Those they didn't anticipate or need additional clarification are addressed by decisions.

In your example for instance, let's say it was not a problem to accidentally hit the lip of the bunker on the backswing. However, what if someone decided to take 3 or 4 "practice" swings, hitting the lip each time and creating an extra inch of clearance with their "mistake?" The lip of the bunker is there to be penal. That's likely why the rule is written that way. If you feel you cannot take a swing without risking hitting it, you always have the option of an unplayable lie.

I honestly don't understand most penalties in golf. Hitting into the water is its own penalty...why assess another stroke? I play by the rules, but think a lot of them are stupid.
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Because not every ball hit into a water hazard is unreachable. Some are playable from within the hazard. So there has to be a penalty for not playing your ball as it lies and being allowed to drop in a favorable spot (compared to in the hazard) for your next shot.
 
wadesworld said:
The problem most people have with the rules is they take one small corner case and use that as their basis for declaring the entire as stupid. The rule has to cover almost every imaginable scenario. Those they didn't anticipate or need additional clarification are addressed by decisions.

In your example for instance, let's say it was not a problem to accidentally hit the lip of the bunker on the backswing. However, what if someone decided to take 3 or 4 "practice" swings, hitting the lip each time and creating an extra inch of clearance with their "mistake?" The lip of the bunker is there to be penal. That's likely why the rule is written that way. If you feel you cannot take a swing without risking hitting it, you always have the option of an unplayable lie.



Because not every ball hit into a water hazard is unreachable. Some are playable from within the hazard. So there has to be a penalty for not playing your ball as it lies and being allowed to drop in a favorable spot (compared to in the hazard) for your next shot.
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I suppose I can kind of see your point in the sand trap rule, but from a slightly different perspective. Knocking away the lip of the bunker would give not only that player an easier shot, but would also destroy part of the course and give all subsequent players with the same lie an advantage over those that played ahead of them. I see no way that hitting into the water gives anyone an advantage, or destroys the course. Even if it did give an advantage, all players have the same opportunity to do the same thing.

I may be alone in this, but that's how I see it.
 
Annhl8rX said:
I suppose I can kind of see your point in the sand trap rule, but from a slightly different perspective. Knocking away the lip of the bunker would give not only that player an easier shot, but would also destroy part of the course and give all subsequent players with the same lie an advantage over those that played ahead of them. I see no way that hitting into the water gives anyone an advantage, or destroys the course. Even if it did give an advantage, all players have the same opportunity to do the same thing.

I may be alone in this, but that's how I see it.
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I get as upset as the next guy when I hit into water but what's the alternative? Free drop as if nothing ever happened? Drain the water and add thick woods and it's akin to a lost ball or unplayable lay anyway. Red stakes at least offer some relief.
 
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