Rule for bunkers

[ajengineer]

What is the rule when you see your ball go into a bunker and is buried under, as it turns out, a lot of sand.
In a friendly game while on tour in Turkey and knowing the exactly the point of entry the ball went into the sand it took me several minutes of raking a lot of sand away,and I mean a lot, and at the point of giving up I just noticed a small spec of white which turned out to be my ball.
Asking my partners what the rule was we were all lost with an answer.

Regards,
AJ

 

[atticusfinch]

12-1a has your answer,

[h=4]Searching for or Identifying Ball Covered by Sand[/h]If the player’s ball lying anywhere on the course is believed to be covered by sand, to the extent that he cannot find or identify it, he may, without penalty, touch or move the sand in order to find or identify the ball. If the ball is found, and identified as his, the player must re-create the lie as nearly as possible by replacing the sand. If the ball is moved during the touching or moving of sand while searching for or identifying the ball, there is no penalty; the ball must be replaced and the lie re-created.


In re-creating a lie under this Rule, the player is permitted to leave a small part of the ball visible.