RAKING BUNKERS!!!!!!!!!!

[Coopsarama]

I dunno if this is an issue many of you have come up against but I'm sad to say I'm coming up against it more and more. The amount of bunkers I come to (not neccessarily always to play my shot by the way!) that are poorly raked or sometimes not raked at all is just not fair on other golfers. It takes thirty seconds to smooth a bunker over. Why can't some people find the time to do that? It aggravates the hell out of me, I get tense, pull the putt after escaping from the crappy bunker lie and grind my teeth even more!!!!......................................................breathing deeply, rant over until furher notice. p.s: It's not fair on green keepers either

 

[muttleee]

Same goes for pitch marks. It takes even less time to fix one of those but it seems it's still too much trouble for some people. Grrr!

 

[birdieman]

It's a reflection on Blair's Britain - we expect the State to do everything!
But seriously it is very annoying - right up there with non-divot replacers and non-pitch mark repairers. You've gotta get it into the heads of the youngsters that etiquette is important in golf, that's where it starts.
Golf is hard enough without having to play out of unraked bunkers, divot holes etc.
People have to be confrontational about enforcing this, even at the risk of upsetting people -I was given a dressing down as a 10 year old about not raking a bunker and it has stuck with me ever since.

 

[madandra]

Birdieman, last month I had the misfortune to be stuck behind two 'SENIORS' who shot 112 and 121 in a medal. That is 18 tee shots maybe 40 putts and

60 DIVOTS EACH AND 14 UNRAKED BUNKERS !!!!!!!!!

NOT ONE WAS REPLACED DUE TO ARTHRITIS !!!!!!!!!

BUT TO BE FAIR THEY NEVER HIT A GREEN SO THERE
WERE NO UNREPAIRED PITCH MARKS


What can you say to them cos they are deaf and on heart pills and if you pull them up, you could be facing manslaughter charges if one pops it.

 

[birdieman]

Madandra,
No excuses -those old boys should be hiring caddies to replace divots and rake bunkers for them if they cant do it. Believe me they know they should be replacing divots, old boy or not. If you can swing a club you can replace a divot or gently rake a bunker!
When your times up your times up, dont think they could have you on manslaughter unless you physically dragged them back to the bunker for a good raking session!

 

[golfdonkey]

The bunker raking issue is a really annoying one. I played at a club the other day where the bunkers were all raked in the direction of the green. Is this common greenkeeping policy?

 

[JustinHarvie]

Not sure. I have heard that used to be the tradition, but it would seem that quite a few people think that tradition and etiquette are not where its at these days.

 

[Coopsarama]

I'm not sure of that either. I personally rake them towards me as i back out of the bunker-making the troughs in line for the green i guess. I'd rather take a minute more raking the bunker correctly than incurring the wrath of my club captain or the like. Not worth it! lol

 

[Teetotal]

I'm sorry but if those old boys can hit a ball and walk 18 holes they can trawl a rake through the sand. That's just downright lazy.
Through work I've played some top courses and the standards are amazing. At the Grove nr Watford they have a little gang of people who sneak out from nowhere after you've been in the bunker to re-rake it to make sure that all the grains of sand are in the right place and you've put rake in right place - talking of which am never quite sure where to leave rake - in sand or out?

 

[Up_Point_1]

"talking of which am never quite sure where to leave rake - in sand or out?"

IMHO the rake has to be left outside of the bunker. To me a rake left lying in a bunker is as much of a sin as not replacing a divot.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[muttleee]

IMHO the rake has to be left outside of the bunker.

But not in such a position that it could stop a ball rolling into the bunker!

 

[birdieman]

We always leave rakes inside bunkers, just how it's done round here and what's expected. I dont think there is a right or wrong with this but seeing as a ball doesn't roll or move as easily in sand as opposed to on grass then you've less chance of hitting it when it's in the sand.

 

[Up_Point_1]

Very true muttleee

There’s no right or wrong way I suppose and it all comes down to opinion where the rake should be left.

Incidentally played a couple of courses in Spain a few weeks back and every one used those Y shaped metal support things stuck in the ground next to the bunker for resting the rake in.

 

[USER1999]

Played golf in Florida recently and had my own rake in the cart. No rakews on the course at all. Now, if only Titleist can make a low weight carry rake....

I believe the RandA say rakes should be left out of bunkers. This always seems odd, as if you hit the rake with a shot that is not going into the sand, and it goes in, it is v. annoying.

Although on the other hand, if the rake is left in, at the back edge, then your ball can stop against the back lip, when it would have run into the middle. This would be worse as you would have no shot at all.

Maybe the RandA have a point.