Faces of bunkers

[KenL]

Some confusion abounds about rules for embedded ball in bunker face at my club.

Has there been a new rule put in place by R&A saying that you no longer get free relief from an embedded ball in the face of a bunker?

For clarity, our club does not have a local rule saying you do NOT get relief.

Thanks again folks.

 

[Neilds]

16.3 states relief is available but local rule (F-2.2) can be put in place to not allow free relief

 

[jim8flog]

Is the face rivetted or just plain sand or soil?
Definitions
Bunker
A specially prepared area of sand, which is often a hollow from which turf or soil was
removed.
These are not part of a bunker:
• A lip, wall or face at the edge of a prepared area and consisting of soil, grass,
stacked turf or artificial materials,

 

[KenL]

Riveted, stacked turf.

Does that make a difference?

 

[Voyager EMH]

 

[rulefan]

Is the face rivetted or just plain sand or soil?
Definitions
Bunker
A specially prepared area of sand, which is often a hollow from which turf or soil was
removed.
These are not part of a bunker:
• A lip, wall or face at the edge of a prepared area and consisting of soil, grass,
stacked turf or artificial materials,

Revetted

 

[KenL]

Revetted

Yes, just like that.

 

[jim8flog]

One important point is taking note of the clarifications

16.3b/1
Taking Embedded Ball Relief When Spot Immediately Behind Ball Is Not in General Area

When a player is allowed to take relief from a ball embedded in the general area, there are situations where the spot immediately behind where the ball is embedded is not in the general area.

When this occurs, the relief procedure requires the player to find the nearest spot in the general area that is not nearer the hole to the spot immediately behind where the ball embedded, and this spot becomes the reference point for establishing a relief area under Rule 16.3b.

While this spot is normally very close to the spot behind where the ball embedded, it could be some distance away (such as when a ball embeds just outside a penalty area and, based on the shape of the penalty area, the player would need to go some distance to the right or left in order to find a spot in the general area that is not nearer the hole).

This procedure also applies when a ball is in bounds but embeds right next to out of bounds or when it embeds in the wall or face right above a bunker. (New)

 

[jim8flog]

Revetted

If I had got my spelling right every time I might have got a higher grade O Level
Mind you a lot of my spelling mistakes these days are typos (not in this case).

One of the troubles with spelling checkers is that if the word exists it does not highlight the error (such as in this case either on t or two are allowable) and will often highlight something because it is not spelt that way in American English even if you have chosen English English as your language.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Is the face rivetted or just plain sand or soil?
Definitions
Bunker
A specially prepared area of sand, which is often a hollow from which turf or soil was
removed.
These are not part of a bunker:
• A lip, wall or face at the edge of a prepared area and consisting of soil, grass,
stacked turf or artificial materials,

Which is why a revetted wall of (or more correctly perhaps, surrounding) a bunker that is built using reclaimed astroturf must be identified as an integral object. It is not part of the bunker and, if not so identified, is an immovable (artificial) obstruction from which free relief is afforded.

 

[Rlburnside]

One important point is taking note of the clarifications

16.3b/1
Taking Embedded Ball Relief When Spot Immediately Behind Ball Is Not in General Area

When a player is allowed to take relief from a ball embedded in the general area, there are situations where the spot immediately behind where the ball is embedded is not in the general area.

When this occurs, the relief procedure requires the player to find the nearest spot in the general area that is not nearer the hole to the spot immediately behind where the ball embedded, and this spot becomes the reference point for establishing a relief area under Rule 16.3b.

While this spot is normally very close to the spot behind where the ball embedded, it could be some distance away (such as when a ball embeds just outside a penalty area and, based on the shape of the penalty area, the player would need to go some distance to the right or left in order to find a spot in the general area that is not nearer the hole).

This procedure also applies when a ball is in bounds but embeds right next to out of bounds or when it embeds in the wall or face right above a bunker. (New)

Bit of topic but to clarify a point, my pp had a ball embedded right next to o/b marker in bounds are you saying you can get free relief from this situation?

 

[D-S]

If it is in the General Area and subject to a couple of caveats (e.g. can’t be in sand in grass not cut to fairway height and not if it would be unreasonable to play it as for example it’s in a bush etc.) then yes, you can get relief.

 

[salfordlad]

If it is in the General Area and subject to a couple of caveats (e.g. can’t be in sand in grass not cut to fairway height and not if it would be unreasonable to play it as for example it’s in a bush etc.) then yes, you can get relief.

Agree. For completeness, we should also confirm that MLR A-6 does not apply as that would potentially offer another route to relief (from the OB marker).

 

[jim8flog]

Bit of topic but to clarify a point, my pp had a ball embedded right next to o/b marker in bounds are you saying you can get free relief from this situation?

This a hard one to advise on without seeing the exact situation because of the exception to the rule and what would be a normal direction of play*

Exceptions – When Relief Not Allowed for Ball Embedded in General Area: There
is no relief under Rule 16.3b:
• When playing the ball as it lies is clearly unreasonable because of something
from which the player is not allowed to take free relief (such as when a player
is unable to make a stroke because of where the ball lies in a bush).

* a normal direction of is not necessarily towards the hole.

 

[Colin L]

This a hard one to advise on without seeing the exact situation because of the exception to the rule and what would be a normal direction of play*

Exceptions – When Relief Not Allowed for Ball Embedded in General Area: There
is no relief under Rule 16.3b:
• When playing the ball as it lies is clearly unreasonable because of something
from which the player is not allowed to take free relief (such as when a player
is unable to make a stroke because of where the ball lies in a bush).

* a normal direction of is not necessarily towards the hole.

The Exception to relief from an embedded ball [16.3a(1)] makes no mention of the direction play chosen by the player, unlike the Exception to an abnormal course condition [16.1a(3)]. The only situation which prevents the player from getting relief from an embedded ball is that something from which the player is not allowed to take free relief makes playing the ball clearly unreasonable.

By the way, it's probably best when dealing with relief from an ACC not to think of a normal direction of play even with the caveat that it doesn't necessarily mean forward. It's the reasonableness of the direction chosen in the circumstances that you have to assess.

 

[rulie]

The Exception to relief from an embedded ball [16.3a(1)] makes no mention of the direction play chosen by the player, unlike the Exception to an abnormal course condition [16.1a(3)]. The only situation which prevents the player from getting relief from an embedded ball is that something from which the player is not allowed to take free relief makes playing the ball clearly unreasonable.

By the way, it's probably best when dealing with relief from an ACC not to think of a normal direction of play even with the caveat that it doesn't necessarily mean forward. It's the reasonableness of the direction chosen in the circumstances that you have to assess.

And going a bit further on Rlburnside's question - a boundary stake is "something from which the player is not allowed to take free relief".