Bunker - unplayable lie

[dronfield]

In a comp today I was on our par 4 9th in 3 shots but faced with a very quick 10 foot downhill putt, which I made a hash of - putting off the green into a bunker that is set several feet below green level. After 3 poor bunker shots and a chip/2 putts, I eventually walked off with a 10.
This bunker is a really avoid at all costs one, and not being a very good bunker player I knew I was in trouble. With hindsight could I have declared the ball unplayable, taken a 1 shot stroke and distance penalty, and replaced the ball on the green and tried the 10 foot putt again. If I had then 2 putted my score for the hole would have been 7.
I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing it as doesn't feel in the spirit of the game, but would that action have been permitted under the rules?

 

[Colin L]

You could indeed have taken stroke and distance relief and putted again and without the least discomfort. It's absolutely within the rules and in the circumstances you describe, a very sensible thing to do. It isn't in the rules or the spirit of the game that you have to apply salt to self-inflicted wounds.

 

[BubbaP]

I think I recall a transcript or video or something from a US rules guy telling a story. He had a gimmie length putt to win the money, which was conceded. So he smacks it off the green into some knee high nasty rough. Offers his oppo double or quits for holing out in 2 more. Oppo sees the rough and accepts, so the guy replaces his ball and taps in ?
Or something

 

[Colin L]

Not within the rules, but don't let's have that spoiling a good story.

 

[Slab]

@dronfield
I did exactly as you describe and putted into a bunker from a really rough green on 3rd hole during club champs comp a couple of years ago and took the penalty stroke to replace the ball etc
Didn't feel at all guilty, it still cost me the penalty to do it
Happened to have a pga pro in my group (and while he wouldn't have taken that option) he was impressed I knew to consider it
Two putted from 20ft so I can't say for certain it saved me any shots but it didn't cost me any either.
I'd do the same again in those circumstances because an up & down was not very likely for me

 

[dronfield]

@dronfield
I did exactly as you describe and putted into a bunker from a really rough green on 3rd hole during club champs comp a couple of years ago and took the penalty stroke to replace the ball etc
Didn't feel at all guilty, it still cost me the penalty to do it
Happened to have a pga pro in my group (and while he wouldn't have taken that option) he was impressed I knew to consider it
Two putted from 20ft so I can't say for certain it saved me any shots but it didn't cost me any either.
I'd do the same again in those circumstances because an up & down was not very likely for me

Thanks Slab, agree it was the best option for me to take - unfortunately it never occured to me at the time as was such an unusual occurance.

 

[tobybarker]

I've managed to putt off the green on many an occasion, once into a bunker. Never occurred to me to do this. Looking forward too seeing the reaction of fcs

 

[Denkea]

Probably a more realistic experience would be when at 60 yards from the hole you skull a shot into the face of a sand bunker. Buried with realistically no chance being able to extricate it. Declare it unplayable and re hit.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Likewise…elevated green with closely mown slope. Steeply sloping green back to front. Flag on front, ball back of flag. Gentle tap of ball but it misses hole and rolls past hole; off the green, and all way down to bottom of slope. Faced with pitch back up - play too cute to keep beneath the flag and ball is back at your feet; play too firm to avoid that risk and you are back with v difficult and fast downhill putt from a new position on the green and further risk of repeat what you’ve just done.

S&D option. Put ball back to where you first putted it. You now much better know the line and weight as putting from exact same place as before.

 

[Denkea]

Just like what Phil did in the US Open one year. Except instead of taking an unplayable he went and hit his ball before it stopped rolling. He should have let it stop and taken an unplayable

 

[salfordlad]

This year's Masters, Wiesberger's eagle putt on 15 ran past the hole and into Rae's Creek. He putted again from the same spot to make a bogey.

 

[backwoodsman]

This year's Masters, Wiesberger's eagle putt on 15 ran past the hole and into Rae's Creek. He putted again from the same spot to make a bogey.

I guess that scenario (ie the ball ended up in a penalty area) is more within the ken of your average golfer? We all know that S&D is an option for PA's. But forget it's an option for a crappy result after a stroke?

 

[bobmac]

It just feels totally wrong to me.
I saw a lady once hit her ball into a bunker and she immediately claimed it unplayable, changed clubs and laid up short of the bunker with her second ball.
Nuts.

 

[salfordlad]

I guess that scenario (ie the ball ended up in a penalty area) is more within the ken of your average golfer? We all know that S&D is an option for PA's. But forget it's an option for a crappy result after a stroke?

Perhaps so, but the reference "you can always play again with one stroke penalty (S&D)" is identified very frequently. If people fail to remember this most basic of golf rules I find it a challenge to muster very much sympathy.

 

[Swango1980]

It just feels totally wrong to me.
I saw a lady once hit her ball into a bunker and she immediately claimed it unplayable, changed clubs and laid up short of the bunker with her second ball.
Nuts.

It may have been unplayable to her, she may find it impossible to hit it out of that bunker, in the same way most of us would find it impossible to hit our ball out of a dense bush, with the ball deep in side against the trunk. Or a playable shot to a right-hander might be considered unplayable to a left-hander or vice versa. She isn't exactly a winner anyway, she is adding 2 shots on to her score compared to the first time she tried the shot.

It is only nuts, I guess, if you think she should be punished by potentially taking many shots out of the bunker and failing miserably.

 

[williamalex1]

I seem to remember Sergio Garcia opting for stroke and distance when he putted from the green into a bunker.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

It just feels totally wrong to me.
I saw a lady once hit her ball into a bunker and she immediately claimed it unplayable, changed clubs and laid up short of the bunker with her second ball.
Nuts.

…or intelligent use of the rules to mitigate risk of shots not so good at or high risk, and rely upon where your skill is higher or shot is or may be lower risk. The course is designed to pose us challenges - we use our skill, experience and, when relevant, the rules to tackle these challenges.

 

[bobmac]

…or intelligent use of the rules to mitigate risk of shots not so good at or high risk, and rely upon where your skill is higher or shot is or may be lower risk. The course is designed to pose us challenges - we use our skill, experience and, when relevant, the rules to tackle these challenges.

Giving up and playing another ball is not an intelligent use of the rules when she had no idea what shot she had out of the bunker.
She would be better off learning a basic bunker shot technique which isn't difficult which would save her shots. Adding shots without looking first is still nuts

 

[Swango1980]

Giving up and playing another ball is not an intelligent use of the rules when she had no idea what shot she had out of the bunker.
She would be better off learning a basic bunker shot technique which isn't difficult which would save her shots. Adding shots without looking first is still nuts

I'm sure learning how to play out of a bunker would be recommended. But, that is not going to happen between her hitting it in the bunker and having to play out of it, and it is against the rules for her to seek such advice even if it were possible. So, based on her perceived skill set during that round, she did the right thing. It is up to her to decide what she thinks is playable. It is certainly not within the spirit of the game for others to dictate to her what is playable and not playable.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm sure learning how to play out of a bunker would be recommended. But, that is not going to happen between her hitting it in the bunker and having to play out of it, and it is against the rules for her to seek such advice even if it were possible. So, based on her perceived skill set during that round, she did the right thing. It is up to her to decide what she thinks is playable. It is certainly not within the spirit of the game for others to dictate to her what is playable and not playable.

…and of course it’s irrelevant whether or not her ball was playable or unplayable for her to choose to take S&D…simply her judgement on whether or not she fancied the shot she was facing.

My example of putting off the green could find my ball sitting beautifully in the middle of an immaculately mown fairway - but I might still not fancy the shot I was facing - and so I take S&D and put my ball back from whence I had putted it…? Still costs me two shots to do that though - so not a ‘cheap’ option.