From the tees, I watched my ball roll into a fairway bunker.
It appeared to first enter, then roll up the face and out, over and past; Happy
days! After a few minutes looking for my ball on the top, over and past the
bunker, we found the ball.
The ball was still in the bunker just below the top lip,
held in place by the teeth of a rake; unplayable. Someone had previously
positioned the rake at the very top-lip of the bunker (Handle out, raking end
in).
The ball did indeed enter the bunker. Then it rolled up the
face and out on top. Then it must have rolled back in and was caught by the
teeth of the rake at the very top edge lip of the bunker. Unplayable.
To move the rake meant that my ball would also move and roll
down the face of the bunker, which it did. Not knowing the rule, I moved the
rake, the ball rolled down the face of the bunker and I then played it from
there.
Was that correct? Or should have I declared it Unplayable
and taken a penalty stroke? What were the correct options?
Thanks,
Lou
Dear Lou,
When you hit the
ball from its new position, you played from a wrong place. In stroke play,
since you did not gain any significant advantage, your penalty would be two
strokes and you must finish the hole without correcting your error [Rule
20-7c]. In match play, the penalty would be loss of hole.
However, you were entitled to free relief from a movable
obstruction [Rule 24-1]. Here is the proper relief procedure for a ball that is
resting against a rake in a bunker:
1. Mark the spot where the ball lies, and then lift the
rake.
2. If the ball moves, you must try to replace it.
3. If the ball will not remain in place, you must place it
in the hazard at the nearest spot where it will stay put that is no closer
to the hole [Rule 20-3d, ii]. You are not permitted to press it into the
sand to keep it from rolling away [Decision 20-3d/2].
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
