Spare club falls into sand trap before your shot. Penalty? - Page 2

Actually most rules questions have simple answers.

It's just that given the myriad of variables and dynamics of playing golf, the rules can get complicated when you have to cover all the possibilities.  The simplest thing to remember about bunkers is you cannot touch the sand with your club until you are actually striking the ball.  To save time, the rules have an exception that allows you to lay clubs in the bunker if you are unsure as to what club to use.

The rules also give you a break if you are falling down.  They don't want you to "kill" yourself to prevent a 2 stroke penalty.

The above covers the majority of what can occur with your club in a bunker.

I think this is a case where the rules are either simple or complicated depending on how you approach them. Those more familiar with the rules can better see the logical progression, but if you're just jumping in, the collection of rules and decisions can look like a bit of a mess.

The way I think about it, starting from the basic concept and adding practical wrinkles, is as follows.

1) You cannot test the condition of the bunker because that uncertainty is integral to penalizing effect of the bunker.

So by default, you may not touch the surface of the bunker. But to play the game, you have to be able to address the ball... so

2) You can walk up to your ball and take a stance, but you cannot take any action beyond those reasonable and necessary to address the ball. You can't ground your club because that's not necessary for making a stroke.

This is fine, but as Fourputt and others said, it can be dangerous to approach or walk around in a bunker. The rules are important, but it's more important to avoid injuries. So

3) If you slip or fall, you're allowed to do whatever it takes to avoid injury, even if this involves touching the sand. (But if you move the ball or affect the lie, you're still on the hook.) It would be unreasonable to penalize someone for having reflexes.

And this is all great, but especially when playing with a shared cart, a golfer can save a lot of time by bringing more than one club with him. If he has to keep all his clubs out of the bunker, it's going to mean a lot of walking back and forth. That wastes time, disturbs the bunker because of the extra traffic, burns more time cleaning up the footprints, and still gives the golfer additional information about the conditions because of the extra walking around. So...

4) You can set your extra clubs down in the sand.

I think it's a fairly logical progression. The exceptions to the "don't touch the sand" rule are either necessary to playing the game, or are both beneficial and easily distinguished from acts that might be construed as testing the conditions. E.g., you could allow grounding the club, but then you have to make tough calls as to whether a golfer pressed more than he was entitled to, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt 

 

No, because then a player who slips or otherwise loses his footing while getting into the bunker would automatically end up with a penalty no matter what the reason.  The rules are not intended to be penal.  Penalties are graded at different levels to ensure that a player doesn't not gain an advantage from the breach of a rule or procedure.  A player who slips on soft ground or wet grass should not be penalized as if he was intentionally testing the condition of a hazard.  That would be contrary to the spirit of the rules.  

 

 

 

I believe this happen to Michelle Wie one time. She placed the club down on the ground to balance herself. They had to look at the video to determine if she was really using the club to keep from falling. If not then it was a penalty. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by saevel25 

 

I believe this happen to Michelle Wie one time. She placed the club down on the ground to balance herself. They had to look at the video to determine if she was really using the club to keep from falling. If not then it was a penalty. 

I remember that one.  She said she placed the club down to balance herself.  I thought the rules officials bent over backwards with patience letting her plead her case for 20 minutes. I thought it was an easy call.