Dear wise-and-gracious Linda,
I always worry about this – I take two clubs into the bunker
and then take my stance, which includes digging in with my feet. If the sand
seems firm I toss the S/W and use the lob wedge. (We have a lot of traps with
areas with a little bit of sand on top of clay.)
Clearly I am testing the conditions when I dig in holding
two clubs.
Violation?
Lou in Murrysville, Pennsylvania
Dear Lou,
You are not
testing the condition of the hazard of you dig in with your feet just enough to
take your stance, whether it be for your actual shot or a practice swing, near
or away from your ball.
You are testing
the condition of the hazard of you dig in with your feet more than what would
be necessary to take your stance for your shot or a practice swing.
Be aware that if you dig in to take a stance with one club
in mind, and you alter your stance to take your shot with a different club, you
may not fill in the footprints from your first stance prior to hitting your
shot.
The fact that you are holding two clubs when you dig in has
no bearing on this Rule. It is the amount of digging in that will determine
whether you are violating Rule 13-4. You can’t avoid learning something about
the condition of the sand when you maneuver your feet to take your stance, so
you can stop feeling guilty about that.
For a helpful list of what actions do or do not constitute
testing the condition of a hazard, please read Decision 13-4/0.5.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
