Linda,
If a ball is in a sand trap, and there is a stone or pebble
lying behind the ball, can you pick the stone or pebble out?
Thanks,
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
Stones are loose impediments. Players are not permitted to
touch or move a loose impediment in a bunker if their ball is lying in that
bunker [Rule 13-4].
However, there is a Local Rule that permits players to
remove stones in bunkers. Many Committees adopt this rule because hitting
stones is potentially dangerous [Appendix I, Part B, #5].
Permission to remove stones from bunkers is a permanent Local Rule in the tournaments
I run, in league play at my home course, and for team matches in parts of New
Jersey. Here is the wording I have used:
Stones in bunkers are
movable obstructions. As such (Rule 24–1) they may be removed. If the ball
moves, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty provided that the movement
of the ball is directly attributable to the removal of the stones.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
