Hi Linda,
First, I really enjoy and appreciate the effort and
knowledge you put into the rules questions.
I know that you can carry golf clubs and or the sand rake
into the sand as you play your shot from the sand. Question: Since you carried
these items into the sand, do they become "your equipment" and if
your shot contacts "your equipment" are you penalized two strokes?
Many thanks, Linda,
Lou from Sun City West, Arizona
Dear Lou,
Your equipment is still your equipment, regardless of where
you park it. If you hit your ball and it is accidentally deflected or stopped
by your equipment, you incur a one-stroke
penalty (not two), and you must play the ball as it lies [Rule 19-2]. Should
the ball become lodged in or on your equipment, pick up the ball,
move the equipment, and drop it on the spot directly under where it came to
rest in your equipment, no closer to the hole.
In your narrative, your golf clubs are your equipment, the
rake is not (unless it is being held for you by your caddie or your partner). A rake is a movable obstruction. If your ball hits the rake, there
is no penalty and you must play the ball as it lies. Please read Rule 24-1
regarding movable obstructions.
Linda
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