Where do you put the rake?

Slab

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Is that because they have a GK carrying a rake with each group?
My best mate has worked at a few tournaments where they have a greenkeeper with every group, and they do the raking, and so carry the rake with them.

The ones where the caddies do the raking....god know where they leave them.

Personally, I prefer leaving the rakes outside the bunkers, unless there is some device to help. My home course has little tent peg like stands that you pop the handle on and leave the head of the rake in the bunker itself. Not personally a fan, but that's what the committee have asked for

The very large tournaments might have a 'raker' (i.e Majors) but for Tour events its usually the caddy doing the raking and the rakes are left outside the bunkers away from the general direction of entry/exit and on the bunker side furthest from fairway, this is where it has the smallest chance of any contact with ball

Its a bit like having a nearest point of relief, for rakes its just the least likely point of collision/contact
 

Voyager EMH

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We have an illegal entrant beside every green holding a rake.
We have only five holes with bunkers that are not by the green.
In those cases you have to beckon the person to come scurrying back down the fairway to carry out their duties.
After two years service, each person is granted leave to stay in the country.

(Not had my full quota of coffee yet this morning!)
 

Backsticks

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Easy, you rake over them as you leave the bunker then throw the rake back in.
Leaving quite an impact depression for an unlucky ball to roll into. Its why I avoid doing that particular option. But every option has a disadvantage why it shouldnt be done. So there is no solution, and just doing your own think is fine.
 

CountLippe

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It's obvious, no?
Not really. I've never noticed a bad lie in and thought that was due to a rake being thrown / dropped, nor had a greenkeeper ever mention it. I'd have though folk walking in a bunker would cause more compaction.
 

chellie

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Leaving quite an impact depression for an unlucky ball to roll into. Its why I avoid doing that particular option. But every option has a disadvantage why it shouldnt be done. So there is no solution, and just doing your own think is fine.

How? Unless your course has rakes that weigh a lot. Its a rake not a shot put!

You get more of an impact depression from the lazy expletives who don't rake bunkers and leave their footprints in the sand.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Easy, you rake over them as you leave the bunker then throw the rake back in.
And in doing so my experience is that no damage is done to the bunker and, if done carefully, little disruption is done to the raked surface other than it’s own impression (which is normally insignificant).

That apart, I put rakes where the club asks me to put them, and wherever that might be I do it with consideration for those playing the hole after me.
 

clubchamp98

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I put the head of the rake in the sand and flip the handle over into the bunker.
the head is far enough from the edge so as not to penalise players behind me.
the only indentation then is where the handle sits in the sand.
 

sjw

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I lay mine on the outside of the bunker, parallel with the edge, on the "outside", i.e. the direction a ball is least likely to come from.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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How? Unless your course has rakes that weigh a lot. Its a rake not a shot put!

You get more of an impact depression from the lazy expletives who don't rake bunkers and leave their footprints in the sand.
From 1:20 in our head greenie showing us how to rake the sand and where to put the rake.

 
D

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I always thought it was middle of the bunker so if the ball does come to rest against it, it wouldn’t be penal once the rake is moved, where as at the bunkers edge the ball may rest between bunker and lip and not move much once the rake is moved thus being more penal
 

Slab

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I always thought it was middle of the bunker so if the ball does come to rest against it, it wouldn’t be penal once the rake is moved, where as at the bunkers edge the ball may rest between bunker and lip and not move much once the rake is moved thus being more penal

Is there anything 'penal' in that situation? Given that the ball lying against a rake can be replaced wherever it is in the bunker (or nearest spot NNTH) its as likely to have a decent lie/bad lie wherever the rake has been left... but with no rake the ball lie will be its most natural
 
D

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Is there anything 'penal' in that situation? Given that the ball lying against a rake can be replaced wherever it is in the bunker (or nearest spot NNTH) its as likely to have a decent lie/bad lie wherever the rake has been left... but with no rake the ball lie will be its most natural
I thought the rake was to be moved and the ball played where it lay?
So if the rake is near the edge of the bunker the ball could well hit the rake and stop really close to the edge, say it rolls in and stops against the rake straight away (when it may otherwise have rolled further into the middle of the bunker) then you move the rake, and the ball stays where it is due to it being sand, it could well be a couple inches from the lip. Where as if the rake is middle of the bunker, and the ball hits and stops there, it’s not going to be close to the bunker lip.
Edit for clarity, I’m talking about the rake positions in the OP post
 

Slab

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I thought the rake was to be moved and the ball played where it lay?
So if the rake is near the edge of the bunker the ball could well hit the rake and stop really close to the edge, say it rolls in and stops against the rake straight away (when it may otherwise have rolled further into the middle of the bunker) then you move the rake, and the ball stays where it is due to it being sand, it could well be a couple inches from the lip. Where as if the rake is middle of the bunker, and the ball hits and stops there, it’s not going to be close to the bunker lip.
Edit for clarity, I’m talking about the rake positions in the OP post

Exactly, could be good for you/could be bad, just like middle of bunker... so don't leave rakes anywhere in bunkers, no problem then
 

Imurg

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That's fine but a bunker with a rake in it is far more likely to impact the lie of a golf ball than a bunker with no rake in it
50:50..
A rake outside could stop a ball going in
A rake inside could affect the lie...
I'd prefer a rake to not stop a ball going in the bunker...
 

Slab

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50:50..
A rake outside could stop a ball going in
A rake inside could affect the lie...
I'd prefer a rake to not stop a ball going in the bunker...

Agree, just don't leave it at the entry to the bunker (or in the bunker)
 
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