Friday, October 30, 2015

Ask Linda #1181-Place clubs in bunker

Linda,
Great columns – thank you! 
What is the penalty if your golf bag accidentally tips into or rolls into a sand bunker? My bag recently rolled into the bunker a long way behind where my ball was. Is it a penalty for every club in the bag or 1 penalty? 
And then another question- can one take a club into a sand bunker and put it down (say you've taken 2 clubs into the bunker to decide which one to use) without penalty? 
Many thanks,
Lulu from Cape Town, South Africa

Dear Lulu,

Question #1:
Provided your lie, area of intended stance or swing, or line of play have not been improved [Rule 13-2], and the ball has not been moved [Rule 18-2a], there is no penalty if your bag tips or rolls into a bunker. In the situation you describe, you did not incur a penalty.

Question #2:
You may place any number of clubs in a bunker. In fact, you may carry your entire bag into the bunker with you and park it in the sand [Rule 13-4, Exception 1]. Placing your clubs in the bunker does not constitute “testing the condition of the hazard” [Decision 13-4/0.5].

Linda
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