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

[Bunkermagnet]

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.

The same could be said for lengths of rough, and any amount of growing items being different early in the morning to later in the afternoon.
Bunkers are a hazard, and we have to take the rough with the smooth.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

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

Common sense rules

 

[r0wly86]

The same could be said for lengths of rough, and any amount of growing items being different early in the morning to later in the afternoon.
Bunkers are a hazard, and we have to take the rough with the smooth.

But those things are natural as is dew evaporating throughout the day. What you are advocating is a system where man deliberately changes the course that helps people who go out earlier.

The bunker will undoubtedly be raked early morning before play starts, so people would know playing early offers and advantage.

And as I have said earlier, a raked bunker is still a hazard because it is more difficult to his a ball accurately from sand than the fairway. It is a different kind of hazard to a water hazard so shouldn't be thought of the same way when talking about maintenance

 

[nickjdavis]

As somebody who is and has a lot of family very experienced with golf course maintenance yes I would

I have over 30 years experience of having my ball...

trapped up against the edge of the bunker (very bad)
deflected into bunkers when they were not going in (bad)
prevented from getting out of bunkers when they might have escaped (bad)
landing in indentations from rakes thrown into bunkers (bad)
being prevented from going in bunkers when they should have done so (good)
moving when trapped against a rake on a slope (neither good nor bad issue because I just replace the ball with no penalty to me)

So I'll take my experience to say my placement of the rake is better than yours.

Trust me when people say leave it resting against the edge they leave about 1m of rake sticking in the air nobody leaves an inch to put rake as far in as possible

errr....I do.

 

[OOB]

I'm sure I played a decent course a while ago where rakes were stood in a small piece of piping, just at the edge of the bunker- seemed to work well?

 

[ScienceBoy]

Head in, handle tip on the lip.

 

[patricks148]

Head in, handle tip on the lip.

worst of the lot, ball ends up back edge with the rake stopping the ball going to the middle

 

[Parsaregood]

W

"Even in a bunker, if a ball is against a movable obstruction, such as a rake, the obstruction may be removed. It is good practice to mark the position of the ball first. If the ball moves as a result of moving the obstruction, the ball must be replaced."

That is from the R&A Rule 24-1 decision explained.

Why not just place the rake in the middle and avoid explaining to playing partners what you are doing etc ? It's just unnecessary, also bunkers are designed for the balls to roll to the centre to give the player a chance of playing the shot successfully

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Head in, handle tip on the lip.

which will work great as long as all players know that 'tip' means 'tip' and not some random place halfway or more down the handle. As just dropped half in and half out can - as @Patrick suggests - result in ball being trapped towards the back edge of the bunker. Fine of the back edge is low and the club can be swung back over it. Not so fine if the back edge is deeper and gets in the way of a smooth take-away.

 

[chrisd]

Is lodged in a tree ok, after its been helicoptered when i fail to extricate myself from said bunker 😣

 

[upsidedown]

can't remember where it was now, but played somewhere once with this and your hands got wet when you used the rake as the holes filled with water

At DRW's course the holders have a flat bit of metal at the bottom keeping the end of the rake clear of sand or wetness apart from when it's raining of course

WE are just about to embark on a change from centre of the bunkers to a stand outside of them on the side furthest away from fairway or green

 

[huds1475]

Big-hitting stuff this.

Compelling

 

[patricks148]

At DRW's course the holders have a flat bit of metal at the bottom keeping the end of the rake clear of sand or wetness apart from when it's raining of course

WE are just about to embark on a change from centre of the bunkers to a stand outside of them on the side furthest away from fairway or green

this was a hole in the ground where the rake was upright so the bottom 1/4 was sitting in water.

 

[Twire]

Because it takes time when playing competition golf a asking playing partners to remove the rake etc as you don't want to cause your own ball to move

What??? Asking playing partners to move a rake?

If the ball is resting against a rake YOU mark it, lift the rake, and if the ball moves you replace it. Think you need to get a grip on the rules.

 

[r0wly86]

What about this, a rake with it's own stand. Then people would know what part to leave out of the bunker

 

[Deleted member 21258]

can't remember where it was now, but played somewhere once with this and your hands got wet when you used the rake as the holes filled with water

Think I have seen those sort, not ideal for sure. Like scaffold tube pushed into the bunker :lol:

The holders are made out of steel, open and are pushed into bunker via the steel 'rod/peg' but have a metal plate on the bottom which the rake sits on and are open above it, with another steel ring to hold the rake upright. Heres the best picture I could find on the course gallery, the one on the left shows some of the 'stand/holder' in black :-



EDIT Just seen upsidedown has explained them :doh:

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Not sure I'm a great fan of the visual impact of vertical rakes...and given the ease with which my ball is able to find a 1" wide sapling to bounce off of...

 

[Slab]

Think I have seen those sort, not ideal for sure. Like scaffold tube pushed into the bunker :lol:

The holders are made out of steel, open and are pushed into bunker via the steel 'rod/peg' but have a metal plate on the bottom which the rake sits on and are open above it, with another steel ring to hold the rake upright. Heres the best picture I could find on the course gallery, the one on the left shows some of the 'stand/holder' in black :-

View attachment 25480

EDIT Just seen upsidedown has explained them :doh:

It wouldn't suit round here, many bunkers have several rakes, it'll be like Day of the Triffids!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Actually the correct reply to the question in the subject of the thread

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

is surely

Where the club asks me to place it

I actually have no say in the matter

 

[HomerJSimpson]

What about this, a rake with it's own stand. Then people would know what part to leave out of the bunkerView attachment 25477

I know a number of courses that have these and it seems to work ok but it's still reliant on the members (and visitors) putting it back correctly and not chucking them irresponsibly into the middle of bunkers etc. Placed properly these are arguably the best option I've seen