Linda, this is a "what if" question regarding
a question that arose at my club today.
A player's ball is in a sand bunker lying well below his
area of stance, which is also in the bunker. The sand is very soft and he
is afraid to dig in to establish a firm stance for fear that sand will flow
down and affect the lie of the ball.
How then does the player proceed if, while taking his
stance, sand does flow down and accumulate around his ball but does not move it
from its original position but makes the lie much more difficult?
And what is the procedure--and possible penalty--if the
movement of sand after the player has taken his stance but before he has
attempted to swing, actually caused the ball to move from its original spot?
I hope I have adequately described this situation and I
would welcome and appreciate your comment.
Lou from Florida
Dear Lou,
If a player worsens his lie he may not restore it [Decision
13-2/29]. Thus, the player who accidentally causes sand to accumulate around
his ball is stuck with the result. The penalty for restoring the lie would be
loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play for a breach of Rule
13-2.
If a player causes his ball to move, he incurs a one-stroke
penalty under Rule 18-2a and must replace his ball before he hits it.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
