Rake Placement in Bunker - Reader - I pulled up a FC

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

In our most important Open comp of the year. 10th hole of morning round one of my FCs (a fellow member) played out of a front greenside bunker; tidied the bunker up; then dropped the rake in the bunker so that it ran along the fairway-side inside edge of the bunker. That edge is a sheer 18" revetted face. A ball rolling into the bunker along a 6ft stretch would be trapped very close to the revetted face and no shot towards the green (never mind the flag) would have been possible.

I lightly, and in as friendly a way as I could, mentioned to that FC that I wouldn''t want to be the player whose ball rolls into the bunker and gets trapped by the rake. He looked at me a without speaking moved it to where it should be placed (ask requested by the club). He did not speak to me for a couple of holes and I think was in a grump with me for rest of round.

Was I right to speak as I did.

 

[patricks148]

In our most important Open comp of the year. 10th hole of morning round one of my FCs (a fellow member) played out of a front greenside bunker; tidied the bunker up; then dropped the rake in the bunker so that it ran along the fairway-side inside edge of the bunker. That edge is a sheer 18" revetted face. A ball rolling into the bunker along a 6ft stretch would be trapped very close to the revetted face and no shot towards the green (never mind the flag) would have been possible.

I lightly, and in as friendly a way as I could, mentioned to that FC that I wouldn''t want to be the player whose ball rolls into the bunker and gets trapped by the rake. He looked at me a without speaking moved it to where it should be placed (ask requested by the club). He did not speak to me for a couple of holes and I think was in a grump with me for rest of round.

Was I right to speak as I did.

yes

 

[Orikoru]

I don't think there's any winner here. You were right about the rake placement, but nobody likes being told off.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

If the club specifically ask then yes. Also, the description you gave of the location and how you pointed it out, yes. All done in a polite way.

If I had laid the rake like and someone had made that comment I would have moved it, felt a bit foolish, made a light hearted comment to cover my embarrassment and then moved on. The fact they took the hump says more about them.

 

[duncan mackie]

Yes - regardless of anything else.

Even did it in the best manner IMO

 

[Robster59]

Yes, you were fine. If he gets in the hump about something as trivial as that then that's more fool him.

 

[IanM]

He clearly knew the "standing orders."

 

[rulefan]

That edge is a sheer 18" revetted face. A ball rolling into the bunker along a 6ft stretch would be trapped very close to the revetted face and no shot towards the green (never mind the flag) would have been possible.

Exactly why the R&A/USGA make their recommendation.

 

[jim8flog]

Yes, absolutely.

It cost me at least one shot and possibly two in a comp last week because somebody did exactly that. The annoying bit was that I was deliberately playing at the bunker, as my best option, with the intention of running the ball through it and the rake could not bee seen from where I was playing.

 

[jim8flog]

Oof , mandated rake direction placement. Just leave it outside.

That increases the green keepers work as they have to get off the mowers to move them before they can continue.

 

[chrisd]

Absolutely right to

 

[rudebhoy]

I was playing in a comp last week, and was about 30 yards out. There were bunkers on either side of the green, but I had a fairly clear path to the flag.

I hit a little bump shot, it was going a bit closer to one of the bunkers than I had intended, but was going to end up on the green. well it was until it hit the metal head of a rake which someone had left sticking out of the bunker, with the handle in the bunker!

It then went off at a right angle, and ended up in the bunker virtually unplayable.

To say I was pee'd off is an understatement. I should have noticed it before I played, but I didn't.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

OMG - it seems that everyone agrees with me and the action I took

We are completely rebuilding all of our bunkers and we are building them in a way that sees all sides revetted and near vertical - and obviously that includes the fairway-side of every bunker. In the past I maybe wouldn't have said anything - and on that specific bunker it would most likely not have matter as a ball entering from fairway side would have run away from the edge, there being only a small drop in. But every rebuilt bunker now has near vertical sides - -with smoothed sand run up from the inside of the bunker to the edge so that a ball dropping into a bunker runs down the slope of sand away from the edge into the open space of the bunker. The rake would have stopped that design element having it's effect. And so I said what I said.

Maybe in all such things - especially slow play - we should not be afraid of picking them up at the time with our friends, PPs and FCs. We should be bold to be honest.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Was I right to speak as I did.

Yes, why wouldn’t anyone if they noticed something like that?

 

[Jacko_G]

Nope.

There are no rules regarding where you can/can't leave a rake.

It can be left inside/outside/half in half out and nothing is more "right" than the other.

 

[rulefan]

Nope.

There are no rules regarding where you can/can't leave a rake.

It can be left inside/outside/half in half out and nothing is more "right" than the other.

Have you read the R&A/USGA reasoning?

A rake left too close outside will have 50/50 chance of deflecting a ball into a bunker. At the correct distance, the adds drop way significantly.
A rake left in the middle has virtually no chance of diverting the ball outside.
A rake left as in the OP has a high chance of causing a penalty stroke in addition..

 

[Backache]

Nope.

There are no rules regarding where you can/can't leave a rake.

It can be left inside/outside/half in half out and nothing is more "right" than the other.

Just because there are no rules that does not mean there is not guidance and whereas there is no single 'right way' . Some ways are most certainly a potential hindrance to other competitors and are considered by many as 'wrong ways', etiquette and manners rather than rules.

 

[Jacko_G]

Have you read the R&A/USGA reasoning?

A rake left too close outside will have 50/50 chance of deflecting a ball into a bunker. At the correct distance, the adds drop way significantly.
A rake left in the middle has virtually no chance of diverting the ball outside.
A rake left as in the OP has a high chance of causing a penalty stroke in addition..

Q. Is it a rule???

A. No.

 

[Jacko_G]

Just because there are no rules that does not mean there is not guidance and whereas there is no single 'right way' . Some ways are most certainly a potential hindrance to other competitors and are considered by many as 'wrong ways', etiquette and manners rather than rules.

And the right way is a matter of opinion. In damp conditions the centre of the bunker is always the first place to flood.

Resulting in a drop and plugged lie in the bunker. Great.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Yes, why wouldn’t anyone if they noticed something like that?

I agree with you - but they don't.

On just about every hole for 36 hols I was putting rakes in the correct place (without slowly our play down...) - and the example I mention was the one where my FC was at fault - there were many other similar situations where a previous player had put the rake 'just so' and clearly no-one had pulled him up - and where no-one in any following group sorted the incorrect placement.