Spreading Sand

[Diane]

Ok - my question may be a bit silly, but here it is. I landed on the edge of a sand trap today, but in what I can only call a divot that was filled with sand. So does that make it part of the trap by default or was it still rough? I was unsure whether I could ground my club or not.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Diane

Ok - my question may be a bit silly, but here it is. I landed on the edge of a sand trap today, but in what I can only call a divot that was filled with sand. So does that make it part of the trap by default or was it still rough? I was unsure whether I could ground my club or not.

You have to try and identify the natural boundary of the bunker. It sounds like you were in the rough in a sand filled divot, but all I can go by is your description. If it was outside of that natural margin, then I'd say you could have grounded the club.

Now that you know, it will probably never, ever happen again.

[Bulls9999]

Hmmm...the bunker should be clearly defined by the dug-out egdes...even if a ton of sand is spilled over from many people hitting out, that's not the bunker.

Interestingly enough, during my son's junior tournament, he played a course were there were little islands of greens with 6-10 inch tall grass in the middle of big fairway bunkers. I would have thought off-hand that groundin a club in those would not be allowed, but they were not considered part of the bunker, even though they were inside the bunker...no bargain to hit out of those either because the grass was so tall.

[straightshooter]

From what I am reading it was not part of the sand-trap. If it was a sand-filled divot, in an area designed to have grass on it, it is not part of the bunker. This could get tricky I guess, if the divot and the designed sandtrap have merged, but if there was grass all around it, it is definitely not part of the sandtrap.


So..... Did you rake it? j/k!

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Diane

Ok - my question may be a bit silly, but here it is. I landed on the edge of a sand trap today, but in what I can only call a divot that was filled with sand. So does that make it part of the trap by default or was it still rough? I was unsure whether I could ground my club or not.

Here is one decision that might help to clarify the issue:

13/1 Sand Spilling Over Margin of Bunker

Q. If sand spills over the margin of a bunker, is the sand part of the bunker?

A. No.

And a definition for Bulls9999 (note the second paragraph) (the part I put in bold might also apply to Diane's dilemma):

Bunker
A "bunker" is a hazard consisting of a prepared area of ground, often a hollow, from which turf or soil has been removed and replaced with sand or the like.

Grass-covered ground bordering or within a bunker, including a stacked turf face (whether grass-covered or earthen), is not part of the bunker. A wall or lip of the bunker not covered with grass is part of the bunker. The margin of a bunker extends vertically downwards, but not upwards.

A ball is in a bunker when it lies in or any part of it touches the bunker.

[Diane]

4-Putt - It was definitely not part of the original bunker, but it was sand that connected to the bunker. That's what confused me, but I did ground my club. I just wanted to double-check the rule. Thanks!

[Fileygolfer]

How confusing is the definition of a "Bunker" to new golfers.

Staked turf face(usually laid like a WALL) are NOT part of a Bunker.
BUT!
A wall or lip are part of a Bunker.

To most of us on here this is a clear definition, but to a novice, it could be very confusing.

[Diane]

Originally Posted by Fileygolfer

How confusing is the definition of a "Bunker" to new golfers.

Staked turf face(usually laid like a WALL) are NOT part of a Bunker.
BUT!
A wall or lip are part of a Bunker.

To most of us on here this is a clear definition, but to a novice, it could be very confusing.

Filey - Yes, everyone on here knows the rules so well.

[atticusfinch]

Originally Posted by Fileygolfer

How confusing is the definition of a "Bunker" to new golfers.

Staked turf face(usually laid like a WALL) are NOT part of a Bunker.
BUT!
A wall or lip are part of a Bunker.

To most of us on here this is a clear definition, but to a novice, it could be very confusing.

I don't think the rules should br written understandibly for a novice, i think a novice should learn to understand the rules.

[straightshooter]

Originally Posted by atticusfinch

I don't think the rules should br written understandibly for a novice, i think a novice should learn to understand the rules.

Why is that? Do you think the rules cannot be properly constructed and be written in such a way that they are easy to understand?

[Bulls9999]

Fourputt, thanks for the rule on the grass islands within a bunker. I never looked it up and thought the ruling in my son's tournament was a local rule....so it's official, islands of grass within a bunker are not part of the bunker. (actually, it was worse to be in those as they didn't look like they mowed them at all and the grass was very high).

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Here is one decision that might help to clarify the issue:



And a definition for Bulls9999 (note the second paragraph) (the part I put in bold might also apply to Diane's dilemma):

[straightshooter]

Originally Posted by Bulls9999

Fourputt, thanks for the rule on the grass islands within a bunker. I never looked it up and thought the ruling in my son's tournament was a local rule....so it's official, islands of grass within a bunker are not part of the bunker. (actually, it was worse to be in those as they didn't look like they mowed them at all and the grass was very high).

Some courses take this idea to a whole new level!

[Diane]

Originally Posted by atticusfinch

I don't think the rules should br written understandibly for a novice, i think a novice should learn to understand the rules.

AF - I like to think I'm an intelligent woman as are the women I play with. We're all professionals who have advanced degrees, but there are times when we will have to read a rule more than once and discuss it to determine exactly what it's saying. I think they could be written in a more "user-friendly" format.

[atticusfinch]

Originally Posted by Diane

AF - I like to think I'm an intelligent woman as are the women I play with. We're all professionals who have advanced degrees, but there are times when we will have to read a rule more than once and discuss it to determine exactly what it's saying. I think they could be written in a more "user-friendly" format.

do you have an example and how you would fix it?