Stones In Bunkers

[Mungoscorner]

Having just spent the best part of half an hour,with a hammer and file trying to dress the sole and leading edge of my sand wedge due to stone damage,i'm wondering if........

A) My home course (and several others i've been a member of) have the worst bunkers in the country ?

B) I'm very unlucky (seeming to see sparks and club damage after almost every bunker shot) ?

C) I should try harder to avoid going in bunkers ?

D) If i'm unlucky enough to end up in a bunker,i should pick the ball out,rake my footprints,apologise to my playing partners,N/R my scorecard and walk back to the clubhouse ?

Does anybody else have the same problem,because i'm starting to wonder whether its worth EVER buying new irons and wedge's,as i'm terrified of damaging them.Not only are the large stones that are embedded in the base of the bunkers (and gouging chunks from the sole and leading edge) a problem,but smaller/gravelly stones within the sand itself are doing just as much damage to the clubface !!!
Where do we draw the line,when removing stones from bunkers ? At what point are we improving the lie ?

Rant over.

 

[Jon321]

I'm not too fussed on the rules here. If I see a stone and think there's a chance I'm going to hit it, I will remove it. Unlike to pros I don't get the clubs for free and take pride in keeping mine in the best condition possible.

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

I'm not too fussed on the rules here. If I see a stone and think there's a chance I'm going to hit it, I will remove it. Unlike to pros I don't get the clubs for free and take pride in keeping mine in the best condition possible.

Agreed. I'd hate to have to replace my irons/wedges because the bunkers are more like quarries

 

[williamalex1]

there lots of stone in our bunkers just recently ,it must be a bad a bad batch of sand being sent around , complain your paying good money not to have your clubs ruined

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We have a local rule permitting the removal of stones from bunkers

 

[duncan mackie]

,i'm wondering if........

A) My home course (and several others i've been a member of) have the worst bunkers in the country ?

where are you playing?

I've probably removed 3 stones this year, and hit none.......

 

[AuburnWarrior]

It's my experience that golf clubs, in general, neglect their bunkers.
My club's bunkers are full of stones. The Addington - in the top 100 golf courses in the UK, I believe - had appalling bunkers. Full of stones. Laughable.
I played the London Club a month ago. The bunkers were a different grade! The sand was perfect and it inspired such confidence. No wonder the top boys can splash out to a couple of inches. If they played at my course, they'd kill people with stones fired out at lightening speed!

 

[RGDave]

The bunkers were a different grade! The sand was perfect and it inspired such confidence. No wonder the top boys can splash out to a couple of inches. If they played at my course, they'd kill people with stones fired out at lightening speed!

Too right.

A well maintained bunker is such a nice place to be. No wonder so many folk freak out at a bunker shot given the appalling state of most bunkers.

OK, so good sand = more poached eggs, but better than wrecking your wedge, stones or no stones.

 

[ScienceBoy]

My old course was not terrible for stones in bunkers but it didn't take long to mash up the face of my MP T-10 wedges.

One story I have is after hitting an 8 iron from a bunker I noticed a red stain after putting the club back into my bag. I had hit the shot, hit a stone, made a massive slice into the CAST club then cut my hand on it as I returned the club to the bag.

I did not play well after that having played well for the 12 preceeding holes

 

[Andy808]

We don't have bunkers this year we have gravel traps!

I will remove stones on friendly rounds but I don't for comp games and we are talking to the committee about having a local rule allowing stones to be removed.

 

[Gazboy]

I hit a stone, although not in a bunker but in the rough with a 4-stroke old Gap Wedge I had bought 2 hours earlier. I managed to make it good with a file but it was little consolation that the stone landed on the green as the ball sailed OOB.

 

[spawn_ukuk]

I aint going to risk the damage hitting a stone can cause
I move the stones out of the way then put it back in the same lie
its not worth it

 

[palindromicbob]

Standard rule should allow removal of stones in bunkers but I suppose the rules want to stay as pure as possible while putting the onus on the courses instead. Any course without the local rule should serious question why the don't implement it. Stones not only damage the club put also cause a potential hazard as they could go anywhere smashing windows, teeth etc. OK still won't account for hidden stones but at least some of the risk is removed.

Mungo: Why NR. You have the option to declare unplayable and replay from as near as possible to where the last shot was played under penalty of 1 stroke. Just avoid the bunker this time

 

[Dodger]

There is only one place that can win the prize for the worst set of bunkers and that prize goes to my home track.

Awful,either way to much sand and far too little,ball never runs into the middle due to the way they are raked,never a flat stance....I could go on.

We do have one good bunker tho and it's an eco bunker and the reason it's the best bunker on the course is that the company that own the eco bunker company built the thing.

 

[MashieNiblick]

Even if there is a local Rule letting you move them, you can still get done by the ones hidden just under the surface.

I always feel a bit sad putting a new SW in the bag with its lovely chrome and curves, knowing it'll never look as good again.

 

[daymond]

Our green staff spent at least six months completely rebuilding a bunker. It is now the worst one on the course: half an inch or less of sand and solid blue clay thereafter.
Personally I have never played a course anywhere that does not have removal of loose stones in bunkers allowed and printed as such on the score card as a local rule.
Why it can't be a rule by the R&A beats me.