Bunker question

[rudebhoy]

Playing with my mate on Sunday, the 4 ball in front of us waved us through as they were searching for a lost ball.

My mate had a bit of a blind shot for his second. He walked up to the green, saw a ball in a bunker and assumed it was his. When he went into the bunker, he realised it wasn't his, backtracked, then, trying to be considerate, raked his footprints on the way out (they were a good few feet behind the ball).

One of the guys in the 4 ball started yelling at him "leave it alone, leave it alone!"

We are both relatively inexperienced players, and didn't know what he should have done in those circumstances. I assume he committed a faux pas, and should have just left the bunker as it was?

 

[guest100718]

he didn't do anything wrong . you can even rake your own footprints before you take your shot as long as your not testing the sand or improving your area of swing or lie.

 

[cliveb]

One of the guys in the 4 ball started yelling at him "leave it alone, leave it alone!"

Isn't the most likely explanation that the guys in the 4 ball didn't realise he was just backing out of the bunker and were telling not to hit their ball? I know that if I think there's a chance someone else is about to play my ball I'll shout at them in a panic - it might sound rude but there's no malice intended.

 

[Colin L]

As Paddy says. The player whose ball it was is entitled to the lie and conditions in the bunker as when his ball came to rest and it was common courtesy on your mate's part to rake over the prints he had made.

 

[backwoodsman]

Isn't the most likely explanation that the guys in the 4 ball didn't realise he was just backing out of the bunker and were telling not to hit their ball? I know that if I think there's a chance someone else is about to play my ball I'll shout at them in a panic - it might sound rude but there's no malice intended.

I'm thinking this /\

I suspect they thought their ball was being "retrieved" from the bunker rather them shouting about any raking of the bunker. (Which others have said, the raking was perfectly ok).

 

[rudebhoy]

Isn't the most likely explanation that the guys in the 4 ball didn't realise he was just backing out of the bunker and were telling not to hit their ball? I know that if I think there's a chance someone else is about to play my ball I'll shout at them in a panic - it might sound rude but there's no malice intended.

My mate had the rake in his hand when the guy was yelling at him, so I'd have been surprised if he thought he was about to play the wrong ball.

Anyway, good to know my mate did the right thing.

 

[Slab]

My mate had the rake in his hand when the guy was yelling at him, so I'd have been surprised if he thought he was about to play the wrong ball.

Anyway, good to know my mate did the right thing.

Holding a rake doesn't mean you're raking though, I've seen a rake used to retrieve a ball from a bunker loads of time

From his vantage point the guy in the 4-ball could've thought any number of things might be about to happen to his ball as was prob right to call a warning (even if it was a bit panicky)