Ball, rake, slope, bunker

[Blob Jacket]

Hopefully somebody can answer this, happened recently and none of us were 100% sure what to do…

Playing partner hits ball towards bunker. Rake is in bunker but handle is sticking out. Rake handle stops ball from going in bunker and ball rests against it on downslope, ball is certain to move if rake is moved - how do you proceed?

 

[rulie]

The rake is a movable obstruction and can be removed without penalty (Rule 15). If the ball moves as a result, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced at its original spot. If the ball will not come to rest on the original spot, the player must place the ball on the nearest spot (nearest to the ball's original position) in the same area of the course where the ball will come to rest and is not nearer the hole.

 

[Smiffy]

I'd move the rake and take two attempts to drop the ball on the spot it moves from. If no joy, I'd place the ball down as close to that spot as possible. That's what I'd do.

 

[jim8flog]

The rake is a movable obstruction and there is no penalty if the ball moves when the rake is moved. If the ball moves when the rake is lifted the ball is replaced on the original spot. If the ball will not stay at rest on the original spot the player has to find the nearest spot not, closer to the hole, where it will remain at rest with no limit as to how many spots are tried.

 

[salfordlad]

I'd move the rake and take two attempts to drop the ball on the spot it moves from. If no joy, I'd place the ball down as close to that spot as possible. That's what I'd do.

Problems here. If you drop instead of replacing and play from where it came to rest when dropped, you garner one penalty for replacing in the wrong way if that drop magically ended up on the correct spot or the general penalty (for wrong place) otherwise.