Little Known Rules Of Bunker Play

If you’ve played golf for a while, you know that the sport has many rules. You probably know the basics ones, like the rule on hitting a ball in the hazard, but don’t know some of the more obscure ones. If you’re serious about golf, learn the rules. It won’t cut strokes from your golf handicap, but it helps you play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. For people who really love the game, that’s important.

Golf’s rules are designed primarily to prevent a player from gaining an advantage. They do a good job of that. But in trying to achieve fairness, you must extend the rules some-times to address some unusual situations, like whether you can hit with one foot in a hazard. One place where you can find yourself facing an uncommon situation is in a bunker. Most times, bunker play is cut and dry. When it’s not, it’s good to know the rules. Below are some golf tips on little known rules in bunker play.

Most students who take our golf lessons know they can’t ground their clubs in a bunker, even during their backswings. Most also know that they can’t touch the sand in a bunker with their hands. But there are exceptions to this rule: You can touch the sand with your hand to look for a buried ball, prevent yourself from falling, remove an obstruction (a so-da can or cigarette butt), or put down a club. However, these exceptions don’t apply if, in doing so, you test the surface or improve your lie. The penalty is two shots in stroke play and the loss of hole in match play. (Rule 13-4)

It doesn’t happen often but golfers sometimes play the wrong ball in a bunker. (We teach students in our golf instruction sessions to always check the ball before hitting to make sure it’s theirs.) You certainly don’t want to be penalized for playing the wrong ball, es-pecially if you’re having a good round. Sometimes the penalty for playing the wrong ball in a bunker is rather severe. It costs you two strokes in stroke play and the hole in match play. (Rule 15-3)

Another little known rule covering bunker play is the one Addressing loose impediments. Accidently moving a loose impediment in a bunker is okay as long as it was not moved in making your backswing. Accidently moving a loose impediment is also okay as long as you don’t improve your stance, your swing, or the ball’s lie. (Rule 13-4) You also have to be careful not to move the ball when taking your stance. If your ball moves as a result of shifting sand caused by your taking a stance, you must take a penalty stroke and replace the ball. (Rule 18-2a)

Sometimes after a good rain, water collects in a bunker, creating a pool. This is considered casual water. If the ball finds this water, you may drop it in a dry area of the bunker with no penalty, as long as it’s no closer to the hole. If the whole bunker is under water, you may drop the ball outside the bunker, keeping the point where the ball lays between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped. The penalty for this is one stroke.

These are just some of the rules covering bunker play. We encourage golfers who take our golf instruction sessions to go through the rulebook periodically and familiarize themselves with the rules as much as possible. You should do it as well. It won’t help your golf handicap much, but knowing a key rule can save strokes. And if you’re won-dering about playing a ball while standing in a hazard, you can. It happened to pro golfer Tim Clark in the 2008. Officials ruled he could play a ball with one foot in a hazard. (Rule 20-2c)