sand traps | USHandicap Classic

cabslamer Professional Champion
Go to Last Reply 116 Views 17 Replies 1 Like
Here's a good one. I was playing a round the other day with a couple of guys. One was a teaching pro. and the other one, his student. We were playing behind a guy and his wife. They really were really hacking it up, especially in the sand traps. To make matters worse they hadn't figured out what the rakes were for. They would not rake the traps after they took six or seven shots to try to get it out.We told them what the rakes were for, but they still wouldn't rake them. We informed the ranger but after he talked to them it seemed to get worse. Now the problem, I hit a shot in a fairway bunker that one of them had been in. My ball landed in a hole that they had made trying to get out.I asked the other guys what to do.The pro told me to pick up my ball and rake the trap then replace it and take my shot. Is this right or do I incur a penalty. I am going to post this score so I need to know what score to post
ArizonaBlue Professional Champion
# 1 8/27/2010 12:56:46 PM
That's a tough one. While it is rude of them to have not raked the traps and left you in a bad lie, it doesn't change the rule of not improving your lie. Imagine what the players at Whispering Straits had to deal with after fans were walking through those bunkers. I personally think the pro erred in teling you to rake the bunker and replace your ball. If it was me, I would be upset but I would have to play it as it was and hope for the best. Of course, I would make sure that the bunkers were raked for the groups behind me ... just as I would fix a ball mark on the green that was left by another golfer. Yes, greens are different than bunkers for unrepaired shots ... you can fix that ball mark that's in your way and your stuck with that bad lie in the bunker. It's your call now ... you have to decide what you will do.
earxtc Professional Champion
# 2 8/27/2010 1:12:42 PM
Kind of like hitting your drive into the fairway, only to find it in a divot. A divot that had no divot-sand, but a coon-skin laying 3yds. in front of it. You can't pick your ball up, replace the divot, and then put your ball back down. Tough 1, I agree.
ArizonaBlue Professional Champion
# 3 8/27/2010 1:25:06 PM
One further comment. The fact that you are asking us about what to do means that in your mind you feel you should call a penalty on yourself ... but your looking for affirmation from us. If you didn't think you did anything wrong, you wouldn't have brought it up. Do the right thing ... a lesson learned ... and you'll feel better about yourself and how you play the game.
HIGH_LANDER Legend
# 4 8/27/2010 1:35:19 PM
I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School.
Goynes42 Professional Champion
# 5 8/27/2010 1:38:43 PM
It's not "right" as far as the rules are concerned, since you cannot improve the ball's lie without penalty, but if you're just having a casual round and encounter the situation you described, I see no ethical problem with it. Obviously in a tournament or match, you gotta "play the ball as it lies and the course as you find it." However, you could be missing out on some important practice by improving your lie in a casual round. Why not just see if you can figure out how to get that ball on the green from the divot? Then you can call on that experience in a competitive situation, when it actually counts.
cabslamer Professional Champion
# 6 8/27/2010 2:04:08 PM
So a two stroke penalty?
PeteG512 Legend
# 7 8/27/2010 2:14:55 PM
I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School. The Ranger is slacking on his duties.
HIGH_LANDER Legend
# 8 8/27/2010 2:21:37 PM
I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School. The Ranger is slacking on his duties. i,agree,Pete.this Ranger,was sent to rehab.and i will keep tabs on this Ranger.if continues to let slow play continue,he will be Fired! the Ranger,kept saying Jesse,Jesse,Jesse,do you have any idea,of what that means?
gsollars LowIndex
# 9 8/27/2010 2:49:05 PM
I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School. The Ranger is slacking on his duties. i,agree,Pete.this Ranger,was sent to rehab.and i will keep tabs on this Ranger.if continues to let slow play continue,he will be Fired! the Ranger,kept saying Jesse,Jesse,Jesse,do you have any idea,of what that means? Man, quit showing that picture.................it's disgusting!
dysangel Professional Champion
# 10 8/27/2010 2:50:23 PM
I would check with the course to see if they have any local rules about it. In some leagues, you can move your ball out of a footprint.
HIGH_LANDER Legend
# 11 8/27/2010 2:53:54 PM
I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School. The Ranger is slacking on his duties. i,agree,Pete.this Ranger,was sent to rehab.and i will keep tabs on this Ranger.if continues to let slow play continue,he will be Fired! the Ranger,kept saying Jesse,Jesse,Jesse,do you have any idea,of what that means? Man, quit showing that picture.................it's disgusting! sorry.i try to go back and remove it,but it won't let me do it.i'll check with the staff
ArizonaBlue Professional Champion
# 12 8/27/2010 3:38:42 PM
Unfortunately ... yes. So a two stroke penalty?
Pete-L Legend
# 13 8/27/2010 4:28:13 PM
Unfortunately ... yes. So a two stroke penalty? Agree with everyone that it should be a 2-stroke penalty. It is definitely a tough situation but one I'm sure many of us had to deal with at one point or another.
cogolfer1 LowIndex
# 14 8/27/2010 4:51:52 PM
That is unfortunately against the rules. Seems like every rule in golf is debated now a days.
MikeNomgi Professional Champion
# 15 8/27/2010 5:04:04 PM
This "teaching pro" should quit teaching and go work in the plumbing fixtures aisle at Home Depot. He should have explained to you exactly what a teaching pro I was playing with in a pro-am with many years ago, and found my perfect drive down the middle of the fairway in a big ugly divot. He explained, "I know you think it's not fair, and your inclination is to move the ball out of the divot. It's called the rub of the green, and you'll find yourself in situations like this from time to time, and it's part of the game." He then explained the best way to play the shot. Some day you may have a chance to play the top rated golf course in the world, Pine Valley, where they have no rakes on the course. They believe a bunker is a hazard and if you hit into one you should pay the consequences.

Professional Champion

116 Views 17 Replies 1 Like

Here's a good one. I was playing a round the other day with a couple of guys. One was a teaching pro. and the other one, his student. We were playing behind a guy and his wife. They really were really hacking it up, especially in the sand traps. To make matters worse they hadn't figured out what the rakes were for. They would not rake the traps after they took six or seven shots to try to get it out.We told them what the rakes were for, but they still wouldn't rake them. We informed the ranger but after he talked to them it seemed to get worse. Now the problem, I hit a shot in a fairway bunker that one of them had been in. My ball landed in a hole that they had made trying to get out.I asked the other guys what to do.The pro told me to pick up my ball and rake the trap then replace it and take my shot. Is this right or do I incur a penalty. I am going to post this score so I need to know what score to post

ArizonaBlue

Professional Champion

# 1 8/27/2010 12:56:46 PM

That's a tough one.

While it is rude of them to have not raked the traps and left you in a bad lie, it doesn't change the rule of not improving your lie. Imagine what the players at Whispering Straits had to deal with after fans were walking through those bunkers. I personally think the pro erred in teling you to rake the bunker and replace your ball.

If it was me, I would be upset but I would have to play it as it was and hope for the best. Of course, I would make sure that the bunkers were raked for the groups behind me ... just as I would fix a ball mark on the green that was left by another golfer. Yes, greens are different than bunkers for unrepaired shots ... you can fix that ball mark that's in your way and your stuck with that bad lie in the bunker.

It's your call now ... you have to decide what you will do.

earxtc

Professional Champion

# 2 8/27/2010 1:12:42 PM

Kind of like hitting your drive into the fairway, only to find it in a divot. A divot that had no divot-sand, but a coon-skin laying 3yds. in front of it. You can't pick your ball up, replace the divot, and then put your ball back down. Tough 1, I agree.

ArizonaBlue

Professional Champion

# 3 8/27/2010 1:25:06 PM

One further comment. The fact that you are asking us about what to do means that in your mind you feel you should call a penalty on yourself ... but your looking for affirmation from us. If you didn't think you did anything wrong, you wouldn't have brought it up. Do the right thing ... a lesson learned ... and you'll feel better about yourself and how you play the game.

HIGH_LANDER

Legend

# 4 8/27/2010 1:35:19 PM

I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School.

Goynes42

Professional Champion

# 5 8/27/2010 1:38:43 PM

It's not "right" as far as the rules are concerned, since you cannot improve the ball's lie without penalty, but if you're just having a casual round and encounter the situation you described, I see no ethical problem with it. Obviously in a tournament or match, you gotta "play the ball as it lies and the course as you find it."

However, you could be missing out on some important practice by improving your lie in a casual round. Why not just see if you can figure out how to get that ball on the green from the divot? Then you can call on that experience in a competitive situation, when it actually counts.

cabslamer

Professional Champion

# 6 8/27/2010 2:04:08 PM

So a two stroke penalty?

PeteG512

Legend

# 7 8/27/2010 2:14:55 PM

I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School.

The Ranger is slacking on his duties.

HIGH_LANDER

Legend

# 8 8/27/2010 2:21:37 PM

I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School.

The Ranger is slacking on his duties.

i,agree,Pete.this Ranger,was sent to rehab.and i will keep tabs on this Ranger.if continues to let slow play continue,he will be Fired! the Ranger,kept saying Jesse,Jesse,Jesse,do you have any idea,of what that means?

gsollars

LowIndex

# 9 8/27/2010 2:49:05 PM

I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School.

The Ranger is slacking on his duties.

i,agree,Pete.this Ranger,was sent to rehab.and i will keep tabs on this Ranger.if continues to let slow play continue,he will be Fired! the Ranger,kept saying Jesse,Jesse,Jesse,do you have any idea,of what that means?

Man, quit showing that picture.................it's disgusting!

dysangel

Professional Champion

# 10 8/27/2010 2:50:23 PM

I would check with the course to see if they have any local rules about it. In some leagues, you can move your ball out of a footprint.

HIGH_LANDER

Legend

# 11 8/27/2010 2:53:54 PM

I,agree with AB & earxtc,,,last week,my golf ball, landed in a foot print,in the bunker.the only thing. I,could do is stay focus. and not get upset, about the footprint.the ball came out hot,past the pin.and two putt for bogey.when this happens,i learn not to get upset,cause your game,can turn for the worse.also,the Ranger,should have kept a good eye on these folk's.Looks & Sounds,like the Ranger,needs to go back to Ranger's School.

The Ranger is slacking on his duties.

i,agree,Pete.this Ranger,was sent to rehab.and i will keep tabs on this Ranger.if continues to let slow play continue,he will be Fired! the Ranger,kept saying Jesse,Jesse,Jesse,do you have any idea,of what that means?

Man, quit showing that picture.................it's disgusting!

sorry.i try to go back and remove it,but it won't let me do it.i'll check with the staff

ArizonaBlue

Professional Champion

# 12 8/27/2010 3:38:42 PM

Unfortunately ... yes.

So a two stroke penalty?

Pete-L

Legend

# 13 8/27/2010 4:28:13 PM

Unfortunately ... yes.

So a two stroke penalty?

Agree with everyone that it should be a 2-stroke penalty. It is definitely a tough situation but one I'm sure many of us had to deal with at one point or another.

cogolfer1

LowIndex

# 14 8/27/2010 4:51:52 PM

That is unfortunately against the rules. Seems like every rule in golf is debated now a days.

MikeNomgi

Professional Champion

# 15 8/27/2010 5:04:04 PM

This "teaching pro" should quit teaching and go work in the plumbing fixtures aisle at Home Depot.

He should have explained to you exactly what a teaching pro I was playing with in a pro-am with many years ago, and found my perfect drive down the middle of the fairway in a big ugly divot.

He explained, "I know you think it's not fair, and your inclination is to move the ball out of the divot. It's called the rub of the green, and you'll find yourself in situations like this from time to time, and it's part of the game." He then explained the best way to play the shot.

Some day you may have a chance to play the top rated golf course in the world, Pine Valley, where they have no rakes on the course. They believe a bunker is a hazard and if you hit into one you should pay the consequences.

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