Rake in bunker

ForumsRules of Golf | 6 posts
 

If a ball comes to rest in a bunker in contact with a rake. how must i proceed, am i allowed to move the rake without penalty.

 

A rake is a moveable obstruction:

R.24-1a:
A player may take relief, without penalty, from a movable obstruction as follows:
a. If the ball does not lie in or on the obstruction, the obstruction may be removed. If the ball moves, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty, provided that the movement of the ball is directly attributable to the removal of the obstruction. Otherwise, Rule 18-2a applies.

 

If your ball rests against a rake in a bunker, you may remove the rake. If your ball moves, you may replace the ball on the spot. However, if your ball fails to remain on that spot and no spot can be found where it will remain at rest no nearer the hole (eg. if the rake was at the back lip of the bunker) , then you MUST incur a penalty by dropping outside the bunker.

This is why rakes should be placed outside bunkers.

 

Rake in or rake out is so inconsistent between courses so you never know where the rake is going to be because players put it where they think depending upon their habit (or lazyness). There should be a ruling on rake position to get rid of this confusion. And of course, it doesn’t matter where it goes it’s always going to get in the way at some stage.

Our course is “rake in” and try and leave the handle pointing towards the midddle of the green.

 

Balls deflected in or out or away are irritations or inconveniences or good luck.

The case I quoted is the only time a compulsory penalty arises. It cannot happen if the rake is not in the bunker.

 

This sums up the RBs view:

Misc. Dec 2
Q. Should rakes be placed in or outside bunkers?

A. There is not a perfect answer for the position of rakes, but on balance it is felt there is less likelihood of an advantage or disadvantage to the player if rakes are placed outside of bunkers.
It may be argued that there is more likelihood of a ball being deflected into or kept out of a bunker if the rake is placed outside the bunker. It could also be argued that if the rake is in the bunker it is most unlikely that the ball will be deflected out of the bunker.
However, 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 most prevalent at a course where the bunkers are small. When the ball comes to rest on or against a rake in the bunker and the player must proceed under Rule 24-1, 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 position them is to throw them into the bunker and this causes damage to 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.
Therefore, after considering all these aspects, it is recommended that rakes should be left outside bunkers in areas where they are least likely to affect the movement of the ball.
Ultimately, it is a matter for the Committee to decide where it wishes rakes to be placed.

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