Watching Oz Open and see that the rake is left out of a few bunkers. I thought that the rake was supposed to be left 100% inside the line of the bunker. What is the current thinking?

leave it out.

When did that change? I’m sure it was the other way around 10 years ago.

In the professional tournaments the rake is left out of the bunker to make it fairer for the players. For most club golf the rake is left in the bunker to make it easier for the green keepers

At clubs the instruction is to leave it in the very bottom of the bunker (not up the face) and aligned with direction of play.

out

It doesn’t matter where you leave the rake if nobody uses it!!!!!

Very true but for me the rake should be left outside the bunker in line of play but either behind the bunker or on the opposite side of the bunker from either fairway or green. As far as I know there is no nominated standerd as far as club golf is concerned

what the guy without a name said happens more ofen than it should, our club suggests it be thrown into the middle, but you would be amazed (probably not) as to how many leave it on the edge, half in. half out.

At least they have used it. Guys who leave rakes in those sort of positions have obviously never had a ball hit a rake & deflect it into a bunker or hit the rake in the bnunker a have it stay jambed under the rake & the lip of the bunker.

Whichever that you think is more correct, you MUST do what the Club says as the standard procedure. That is, don’t do the opposite and say “I know better”. For the club I’m at for instance that would be as said before where the rake is on the floor of the bunker (not the face) and in the direction of play.

Thanks all, that clears it up (Not!).

Thanks all, that clears it up (Not!).

How many bunkers do you have Whitednj

while on rakes…are you supposed to rake the bunker in the pattern that you see at the start of the day…is there any eltiqutte or rule for this?

Oh..and one more thing…why hasnt somone designed a rake with a collapseable handle….so it takes up no space

It’s out and in the direction of play at my club, in fact they even have white a ‘T’ painted on the grass where they live.

They would still find somewhere to leave it where it would get in our way

No rules or patterns, to me, just ettiquite to do the right thing for the benefit of other members. Nothing worse than having to hit a bunker shot out of a footprint. If any pattern, rake the sand back to centre or bottom of bunker from the sides or walls.

From the Royal and Ancient...

Should rakes be placed inside or outside bunkers?

It is recommended that rakes be placed outside bunkers as on balance it is felt there is less likelihood of an advantage or disadvantage to the player. In practice players who leave rakes in bunkers frequently leave them at the side which tends to stop a ball rolling into the flat part of the bunker, resulting in a much more difficult shot than would otherwise have been the case. This is especially true of small bunkers. If a ball comes to rest against a rake in the bunker, the player must proceed under Rule 24-1 and it may not be possible to replace the ball on the same spot or find a spot in the bunker which is not nearer the hole – see Decision 20-3d/2. If rakes are left in the middle of the bunker, the only way to do so is to throw them into the bunker, damaging the surface. Also, if a rake is in the middle of a large bunker it is either not used or the player is obliged to rake a large area of the bunker resulting in unnecessary delay. Ultimately, it is a matter for the Committee to decide where it wishes rakes to be placed (see Decision Misc./2).

Our committee has still decided that rakes should be placed in the middle of the bunker, in line with the direction of play.

They would still find somewhere to leave it where it would get in our way

There are still some like that mate, but most people are pretty good.

Good topic!

Have to say that I have always been an “in” man as far as bunkers are concerned.

However, the R&A are spot on in what they say.

Think I will be writing a letter to council on the subject.

We have no procedure at our club. I will leave it in if I can leave it in a flat part of the bunker, without having to throw the rake. Otherwise I will leave it out of the bunker in line with the direction of play.

Leaving it out is the best option and all clubs should adopt the policy. Players can be educated on where to leave the rakes. This is the major issue because they must be ‘out’ of the playing zone.

Thanks all, that clears it up (Not!).

How many bunkers do you have Whitednj

We have enough at Mystic Sands for this to be an issue but I find it to be a bigger problem at the courses in Townsville where there is a lot more public traffic and rakes are scattered all over the place. It is not unusual to have to deal with a ball lying against a rake, particularly when they are dropped across the direction of play. You NEVER see a sign alerting players to rake etiquette. At my own club there is no “rule” I am aware of but I will try and find out. The R&A description above is very good.

Thanks all for contributing to this as I am now aware that there is no rule, just guidelines which are not enforcable.

On our course we have 86 bunkers and rakes are left as per the ER and A guidelines outside the bunkers. If I hit a rake and it ricochets into the bunker I know one thing…. I shouldn’t have been that close to a bunker in the first place.

One of the beauties of playing in China is that you must have a caddy, so he or she does the raking. No fotprints in the sand here.