upsidedown
Tour Winner
Played today and question arose ,having left his ball in the bunker with first shot can the player rake the sand incase his second shot also doesn't get out and end up in his footprints . We thought not.
Raking bunker
- Thread starter upsidedown
- Start date
chellie
Tour Winner
No you cant.
salfordlad
Well-known member
Perhaps yes, perhaps no. This is something many golfers do not understand.
You cannot improve the conditions affecting the stroke for the new position of the ball in the bunker - Rule 8.1a. And you cannot breach the restrictions identified in Rule 12.2b, such as testing the sand or touching the sand in front of or behind the ball's new position. But you can rake the rest of the bunker with one qualification. You cannot deliberately alter other physical conditions that would affect where the ball may go after the next stroke (the footprints in this case) - it would breach Rule 8.2 - UNLESS you are "caring for the course". In sum, providing the player is caring for the course, you can rake areas that do not breach the 8.1 and 12.2 restrictions.
You cannot improve the conditions affecting the stroke for the new position of the ball in the bunker - Rule 8.1a. And you cannot breach the restrictions identified in Rule 12.2b, such as testing the sand or touching the sand in front of or behind the ball's new position. But you can rake the rest of the bunker with one qualification. You cannot deliberately alter other physical conditions that would affect where the ball may go after the next stroke (the footprints in this case) - it would breach Rule 8.2 - UNLESS you are "caring for the course". In sum, providing the player is caring for the course, you can rake areas that do not breach the 8.1 and 12.2 restrictions.
rulefan
Tour Winner
I the light of the answer above, I suggest you don't until your ball is out of the bunker.
backwoodsman
Tour Winner
Can I ask the OP to clarify...
Did he mean that the player played Shot 1- which didnt get out the bunker. Then, before playing Shot 2, he raked (or wanted to) the footprints made in playing Shot1?
Did he mean that the player played Shot 1- which didnt get out the bunker. Then, before playing Shot 2, he raked (or wanted to) the footprints made in playing Shot1?
upsidedown
Tour Winner
Correct, his Shot that didn't get out was in a place where he felt he may not get out again , which he didn't and got out on the 3rd attempt
He asked the question if he could rake after his first shot but he didn't rake it until he was out
salfordlad
Well-known member
LOL, the bolded words aren't that challenging. Just mumble 'caring for the course' and you are good to rake anything that does not improve CATS, does not touch sand directly in front of or behind the ball and providing you are not deliberately testing the sand.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
3 jabber
Member
Would it not have been easier to just say you can rake your footprints but nowhere else (or whatever the correct ruling is) because most rule infringements are because the wording used isn't always easy to understand.
salfordlad
Well-known member
No. Sometimes you can rake your footprints, sometimes that would conflict with the restrictions in 8.1a and 12.2b. There is no one size fits answer. If there was we wouldn't be having this stimulating conversation
.salfordlad
Well-known member
Perhaps it should be renamed caring for the rules official.Surely if he were truly caring for the course he'd have got it out the first time
