When your ball lies in a BUNKER, the following are allowed:
- Not new – You may move movable obstructions. If the ball moves, replace the ball with no penalty.
- New – You may carefully move loose impediments. If the ball moves, replace the ball and take a one-stroke penalty.
- Not new – You may take free relief in the bunker from immovable obstructions, animal holes, ground under repair or temporary water in a bunker. Not new – You may take one-stroke penalty relief back-on-the-line behind the bunker.
- Not new – You may take one-stroke penalty relief in the bunker for an unplayable ball in a bunker. New – You now may take two-stroke penalty relief back-on-the-line behind the bunker.
When your ball lies in a BUNKER, the following are not allowed:
- Not new – You may not, apart from the permitted actions above, do anything which improves your lie, stance, swing or line of play.
- Not new – You may not take free relief for an embedded ball in a bunker. However, you could take penalty relief for an unplayable ball.
- Not new – You may not do anything to test the condition of the sand in the bunker.
- Not new – You may not touch the sand with your club right in front of or right behind your ball.
When your ball lies in a PENALTY AREA, the following are allowed:
- Not new – You may move movable obstructions. If the ball moves, replace the ball with no penalty.
- New – You may carefully move loose impediments. If the ball moves, replace the ball and take a one-stroke penalty.
- New – You now may make practice swings which touch the ground or water in a penalty area.
- New – You now may lightly ground your club right in front of or right behind your ball.
When your ball lies in a PENALTY AREA, the following are not allowed:
- Not new – You may not, apart from the permitted actions above, do anything which improves your lie, stance, swing or line of play.
- Not new – You may not take free relief from immovable obstructions, animal holes, ground under repair or temporary water in a penalty area. You may only use the Penalty Area relief options.
- Not new – You may not take free relief for an embedded ball in a penalty area. You may only use the Penalty Area relief options.
- Not new – You may not take penalty relief for an unplayable ball in a penalty area. You may only use the Penalty Area relief options.
Is this material the USGA has prepared or Charlie Marks. Whichever, some information on a significant change that increases a pre-2019 penalty is not mentioned. If your ball is caught inn the back of the bunker on a slope against the rake (a movable obstruction) you must place the ball no nearer the hole in the bunker. But if there is nowhere that meets that requirement where the ball will come to rest when you place, then you must take penalty relief outside the bunker. But in 2019, back on the line relief in that situation will now cost 2 shots penalty, while it was only one shot penalty in 2018 – despite the fact that this is a situation in which the player has done absolutely nothing wrong. It is also (remarkably) a higher penalty than when equivalent back on line relief is being taken outside a bunker when relief is being taken from an abnormal course condition or dangerous animal condition in the bunker.
Of course, you first must attempt to place the ball back in the original position after removing the interfering movable obstruction. If the ball won’t come to rest there, then you have to find the nearest position in the bunker no nearer the hole where the ball will come to rest.
Thank you for that additional information, Stewart.
The argument for “rakes out of bunkers” in 2019 is now even stronger. 🙁
What Stewart describes is found in Interpretation 14.2e/1 – Player Must Take Penalty Relief When Spot Where Ball Will Remain at Rest Is Nearer Hole
It says, in part “For example, a player’s ball comes to rest on the downslope of a bunker against a rake and, in removing the rake, the ball moves. The player attempts to replace the ball as required, but it does not stay. He or she then follows the procedure of Rule 14.2e with no success and finds that there are no other spots to try in that bunker that are not nearer the hole.
In this case, the player must take unplayable ball relief either by using stroke and distance for one penalty stroke (Rule 19.2a) or back-on-the-line relief outside the bunker for two penalty strokes (Rule 19.3b).”
Clarification Please…..
“When your ball lies in a bunker”…..3 bullet point down.
“Not new – You may take one-stroke penalty relief back-on-the-line behind the bunker.”
is this not a new option???
Hi, Chris. Look up old Rule 24-2b(ii)(b).
This was the out for a water-filled bunker which the Committee hadn’t yet designated as GUR. Players hate this, with some justification. However, playing a second ball and seeking a ruling usually takes care of the problem.