Rakes....where do you place it after using it?

[Parsaregood]

Rakes should be left in the centre of the bunker. You don't leave it outside or up the face or anywhere where where moving the rake could cause the ball to move. Do everyone a favour and leave them in the middle of the bunker

 

[r0wly86]

Rakes should be left in the centre of the bunker. You don't leave it outside or up the face or anywhere where where moving the rake could cause the ball to move. Do everyone a favour and leave them in the middle of the bunker

But what about the R&A guidance that was posted earlier.

Or the points made that leaving the rake in the middle of the bunker, slow down play as you have to rake more sand, as you have put more footprints in the bunker retrieving the rake.

Or that to get it back into the middle of the bunker, without putting more footprints in, it to throw it into the bunker.

How many time does is happen that a ball is resting on a rake and moving it causes the ball to go in? If the tip of the handle is the only thing outside of the bunker the chances of resting a ball on it is 1,000,000 to one.

Likewise I have hit a ball through a wet and hard bunker, normally it would have come out but I have hit the rake and stayed in. No matter where you put the rake there will always be a chance of hitting it and either getting a good or bad bounce.

 

[Sats]

Best thing I ever saw was rake holsters at Bearstead GC near Maidstone - took the guesswork out of it

 

[Parsaregood]

It's quite easy to place a rake in the centre or flatters part of a bunker in 95% of cases without disturbing too much sand, in cases as where you have a large bunker there are generally 2 or 3 rakes. If you don't like raking bunkers don't go in them

 

[Parsaregood]

Also ball resting against the head of the rake inside the biker on a slight slope can move when the support of the rake is removed, this is why they should be placed in the centre or flatters part of the bunker

 

[r0wly86]

Also ball resting against the head of the rake inside the biker on a slight slope can move when the support of the rake is removed, this is why they should be placed in the centre or flatters part of the bunker

But if the rake wasn't there the ball would roll down the slope and be in the same position that the ball would be in your scenario anyway?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

If you don't like raking bunkers don't go in them

Excellent advice. Does the same apply to water hazards and OOB?

 

[r0wly86]

Excellent advice. Does the same apply to water hazards and OOB?

Only great advice if you are deliberately hitting your ball into bunkers. I think like most people I stray into the odd bunker despite trying to avoid them

 

[Bunkermagnet]

This is usually brought up, but the scenario would be this. Club championship, greenkeepers working hard to get the course absolutely spot on, rake the bunkers. Those first out then get the benefit of nice lies in the bunker and easier shots, those going out at the end will get bunkers that have had loads of people walking through and taking shots, so will be at a distinct disadvatnage

You don’t have Club championships every week though do you?
You could reverse that and ask about those going out early and having wetter greens, the advantage for those going out later is much more with dryer greens.
Bunkers are a hazard at the end of the day

 

[r0wly86]

You don’t have Club championships every week though do you?
You could reverse that and ask about those going out early and having wetter greens, the advantage for those going out later is much more with dryer greens.
Bunkers are a hazard at the end of the day

I just the club championship as an example. But you said that they would be raked only by the ground staff. That means periodically those out early get a distinct advantage.

For you average golfer a raked bunker is still a hazard, we aren't like the pro where we can float it to within a few inches. A bunker usually means we can get out (but not always) and we are less accurate than a chip shot.

Not raking bunkers would just mean it would be a lot harder for your average golfer for most of the time, while periodically a small group of golfers get a big benefit of raked bunkers.

 

[Parsaregood]

But if the rake wasn't there the ball would roll down the slope and be in the same position that the ball would be in your scenario anyway?

Generally this situation takes more time and usually you would ask a playing partner to move the rake so you don't intentionally move your own ball. Why not just avoid the situation and place the rake in the centre or a flat area of the bunker? It's really not a hard concept to grasp or master

 

[Parsaregood]

Excellent advice. Does the same apply to water hazards and OOB?

Yes, the idea being it's part of golf live with it or pay a caddie to do it for you

 

[r0wly86]

Generally this situation takes more time and usually you would ask a playing partner to move the rake so you don't intentionally move your own ball. Why not just avoid the situation and place the rake in the centre or a flat area of the bunker? It's really not a hard concept to grasp or master

So if a bunker is all slope, no flat areas or not one big enough to accommodate the whole rake, should you leave the rake out of the bunker as even if it was entirely in the bunker it would create this situation.

The ideal situation in my mind is the holders others have pointed out, it means only a small part of the rake is in contact with the ground so minimises any possible situations like that to a minimum. If you don't have the holder the closest method to it is putting the handle on the edge of the bunker and the rest in it. It also means that only the head is touching the sand, so the ball won't come to rest against the handle.

If the whole rake is in, then you have 3-4 foot of rake that the ball could rest against, which makes it more likely that just the head

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Don't see it as a big deal at all if you have to rake footprints you make to get t a rake placed in the middle of a bunker. You have to go in there in any case. Besides - if your ball is stopped by a rake positioned in the middle of a bunker you are only very rarely going to have issue with where your ball has been stopped - it'll have been stopped somewhere around the middle - surely even a good thing?

 

[Parsaregood]

So if a bunker is all slope, no flat areas or not one big enough to accommodate the whole rake, should you leave the rake out of the bunker as even if it was entirely in the bunker it would create this situation.

The ideal situation in my mind is the holders others have pointed out, it means only a small part of the rake is in contact with the ground so minimises any possible situations like that to a minimum. If you don't have the holder the closest method to it is putting the handle on the edge of the bunker and the rest in it. It also means that only the head is touching the sand, so the ball won't come to rest against the handle.

If the whole rake is in, then you have 3-4 foot of rake that the ball could rest against, which makes it more likely that just the head

I've never seen an all slope bunker but if this were the case I'd leave the rake where it wouldn't interfere with a ball on the surrounds of the bunker

 

[Orikoru]

So if a bunker is all slope, no flat areas or not one big enough to accommodate the whole rake, should you leave the rake out of the bunker as even if it was entirely in the bunker it would create this situation.

The ideal situation in my mind is the holders others have pointed out, it means only a small part of the rake is in contact with the ground so minimises any possible situations like that to a minimum. If you don't have the holder the closest method to it is putting the handle on the edge of the bunker and the rest in it. It also means that only the head is touching the sand, so the ball won't come to rest against the handle.

If the whole rake is in, then you have 3-4 foot of rake that the ball could rest against, which makes it more likely that just the head

I think the vast majority have agreed that this is the best method. Head of the rake in the side, handle resting against the edge so it isn't lying down, then only the head could possibly trap the ball, and even so you're in the middle of the bunker anyway so shouldn't make a lot of difference.

 

[Parsaregood]

I think the vast majority have agreed that this is the best method. Head of the rake in the side, handle resting against the edge so it isn't lying down, then only the head could possibly trap the ball, and even so you're in the middle of the bunker anyway so shouldn't make a lot of difference.

That is not the best solution for reasons previously mentioned, all of the rake on a flat part of the bunker which is usually the centre. Foolproof way to avoid situations

 

[r0wly86]

That is not the best solution for reasons previously mentioned, all of the rake on a flat part of the bunker which is usually the centre. Foolproof way to avoid situations

In your opinion, many on here including me think that it is the best solution.

If nothing it just proves there are positives and negatives of each and there is no definitive "right" answer

 

[PJ87]

I'm another one for most of the rake in the bunker, with the handle resting on the edge.

It annoys me that if the rake is in the middles of the bunker and my ball is at the front then I have to walk through the bunker to get the rake, then have to rake the footprints I've just made retrieving the rake.

With the handle on the edge I can walk around the bunker, pick it up ad take it to where my ball is and where I will need it.

I do like the fishing pole holder things though, but only seen them as a handful of course

however if you walk to the middle you now have the rake and just quickly rake your foot prints takes 2 seconds

 

[Orikoru]

That is not the best solution for reasons previously mentioned, all of the rake on a flat part of the bunker which is usually the centre. Foolproof way to avoid situations

No. If it's laying flat then there is more chance of the ball coming to rest against it. So how can that be better? That's what you want to avoid as much as possible.