Hi Linda,
Whilst playing in a competition my opponent went into a
bunker. She took 3 practice swings, then on her proper stroke hit the lip of
the bunker on her back swing which made her stop her swing. Was that a penalty
as it was her attempt at a shot out of the bunker?
Lulu from Scotland
Dear Lulu,
If the lip of the
bunker is covered with grass, it is not part of the bunker. A player contacting
a grass-covered lip has not touched the ground in the hazard. When this player
contacted the lip with her backswing, she stopped her swing. She did not make a
stroke, and she does not incur a penalty.
Don’t forget that
the backswing is not part of the stroke [Definition of “Stroke”]. A
“stroke” is the forward movement of the club with the intention to hit
the ball.
If the lip of the
bunker is not covered with grass, it is considered part of the
bunker [Definition of “Bunker”]. In this case, the player incurs a two-stroke
penalty (loss of hole in match play) for touching the ground in the bunker with
her club before making her stroke [Rule 13-4b].
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
