Saturday, April 26, 2014

Ask Linda #834a-Replace ball lifted from bunker

Hi Linda,
I’ve not needed to ask you a question for ages as you answered so many of them for me last year. Thanks for your great continuing blog too.

Just an additional point on Ask Linda #834-Rake bunker, ball still in it
Yesterday, me and my opponent were both in the bunker 2 inches apart. He was behind me so I marked my ball. He took his shot, which buried my marker. We found it, raked the bunker (which I now see we cannot do from your column) and then I placed my ball where I thought it had been. Obviously, it’s hard to keep another person's marker in the right place when taking a shot very near it, so is it then acceptable to replace the 2nd ball in roughly where you think it was, and if agreed by both?
All the best,
Lou from Wales, UK

Dear Lou,

There is a difference between improving your lie in the bunker and restoring your original lie when you have lifted your ball because it interfered with another player’s shot. When you are asked to mark and lift a ball in a bunker, it is likely that your lie will be altered by the other player’s sand shot. You should always make a mental note as to what your lie looked like so that you are able to restore it prior to replacing and hitting your ball. That may involve some raking and sand sculpting (yes, you may use your hands for this purpose). You must do your best to re-create your original lie in a bunker, and you are entitled to use whatever means are at your disposal [Rule 20-3b (iii)].

Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.