Hi Linda,
This question is from my wife who would normally receive the "Yes dear whatever you say" ruling when we play together. However, this happened during a tournament. Her ball was in the bunker, close to the lip, with a severe uphill lie. She had to dig her feet in deep in order to even stand. She hit the ball, it hit the lip of the bunker and came to rest in the bunker but "behind" her original position. She elected to play the ball without raking the very deep footprints. I think she was correct because even though Decision 13-4/36 states a player can smooth footprints after a stroke in the bunker if it does not assist in his subsequent play of the hole (exception 2 to 13-4), Decision 13-2/29 states that "if a player worsens his intended stance or swing, his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line…he is not entitled to restore that area to its original condition". The "yes dear whatever you say" rule notwithstanding, was she correct?
Thanks as always,
Lou from Atlanta
Dear Lou,
There is never a penalty for not raking a bunker before you hit a ball that lies in a bunker. Since your wife wasn’t sure whether she was entitled to rake her footprints, she made the smart decision to hit first and rake afterwards.
She would not be penalized for raking her footprints before hitting her next shot, provided such raking did not improve her lie, the area of her intended stance or swing, or her line of play [Decision 13-4/38]. I am assuming, from your narrative, that the footprints were on her line of play. If that is the case, then raking the footprints would have resulted in a two-stroke penalty (loss of hole in match play) for a violation of Rule 13-2.
Your wife was absolutely correct in her procedure and her understanding of the rule.
If your wife’s ball had been in the back of the bunker, and her stroke had moved the ball to the front of the bunker, she would be permitted to rake the footprints from her first attempt before hitting her second shot from the same bunker. This does not constitute testing the consistency of the sand [Decision 13-4/36].
Linda
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