Linda .. if you brush the sand with your club on the
backswing while in a Bunker is that a penalty shot? I guess what I am
asking is ... is the backswing considered part of the swing or does the
swing not begin until you begin a forward movement?
Thanks,
Lou
Dear Lou,
If your club touches the sand in the bunker during your
backswing you have breached Rule 13-4b [Decision 13-4/31]. You may not touch
the ground in a bunker with your club before you take your stroke. The penalty
is two strokes (loss of hole in match play).
Lou, the technical term for “swing” is “stroke.” A stroke is
defined as the forward movement of the club with the intention to hit the ball.
The backswing is not part of the stroke.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
