No DQ for Steve Marino.

[sean_miller]

Maybe Steve Marino should have been penalized for brushing the grass overhanging the fairway bunker on 18, and maybe not. Either way, as I type this, he's just hit his 5th stroke onto the green (lost by at least 3) and the results will have been posted before anyone looks at the footage in high def.

What a meltdown.

[Zeph]

Disqualified for what?

[zeg]

From the USGA Rules definition for "bunker"

Grass-covered ground bordering or within a bunker , including a stacked turf face (whether grass-covered or earthen), is not part of the bunker. A wall or lip of the bunker not covered with grass is part of the bunker . The margin of a bunker extends vertically downwards, but not upwards.

Are we going to get a thread whining about DQs every time anything happens?

[sean_miller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeg

From the USGA Rules definition for "bunker"

Grass-covered ground bordering or within a bunker , including a stacked turf face (whether grass-covered or earthen), is not part of the bunker. A wall or lip of the bunker not covered with grass is part of the bunker . The margin of a bunker extends vertically downwards, but not upwards.

Are we going to get a thread whining about DQs every time anything happens?

Seems appropriate doesn't it?

[basscat348]

Who cares ? I dont.

[Jay Dawn]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Maybe Steve Marino should have been penalized for brushing the grass overhanging the fairway bunker on 18, and maybe not. Either way, as I type this, he's just hit his 5th stroke onto the green (lost by at least 3) and the results will have been posted before anyone looks at the footage in high def.

What a meltdown.

Looks ok here

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by basscat348

Who cares ? I dont.

Of course we don't care. Some of the grass he made contact with was possibly within the plane of the hazard, but the results are in and he didn't win either way.

[Jay Dawn]

ok

[VOX]

Brushing grass while in a bunker is expressly allowed under the Rules of Golf (Rule 13)

Grass whether in a bunker or surrounding a bunker is not part of the bunker

The margin of the hazard extends down not up

The note to Rule 13 allows a player to brush grass when in a bunker or hazard as long as he isn't improving his lie.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Of course we don't care. Some of the grass he made contact with was possibly within the plane of the hazard, but the results are in and he didn't win either way.

Within the plane but above the bunker. See the at least two posts people have made now about the bunker extending down but not up. C'mon now... ;-)

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by iacas

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Of course we don't care. Some of the grass he made contact with was possibly within the plane of the hazard, but the results are in and he didn't win either way.

Within the plane but above the bunker. See the at least two posts people have made now about the bunker extending down but not up. C'mon now... ;-)

I didn't see the video. I assume the grass didn't extend down.

[ohiolefty]

I find Steve Marino to be overrated/overhyped by all the golf pundits 'in the know'.

Dude moves around the course like a 3rd grade ADD case off his meds. I don't know. Doesn't give me the vibe that he's ever going to be a big winner. Bubba does that...but Bubba also has more game than Steve IMHO.

[Zeph]

Could someone explain the situation and which rules that apply? I've gathered he was in a bunker or something and brushed some grass, but haven't grasped what happened yet.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Zeph

Could someone explain the situation and which rules that apply? I've gathered he was in a bunker or something and brushed some grass, but haven't grasped what happened yet.

He was hitting (rather obviously) the grass at the edge of the bunker - at the point his ball needed to exit - on a few practice swings. I only saw it once and haven't seen a replay. It was apparently legal, but it looked really unusual compared to typical bunker related behaviour.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by Zeph

Could someone explain the situation and which rules that apply? I've gathered he was in a bunker or something and brushed some grass, but haven't grasped what happened yet.

I'm confused too. Best I can tell, this thread was started because the OP thought some controversy might arise about Marino brushing grass while in a bunker. But as others have pointed out, there's nothing illegal about that, even if the grass was overhanging the lip (since the hazard extends down, not up, so any talk of whether the grass was in the "plane" of the bunker is irrelevant.)

Edit: Ok, I see Sean's concern was that since the grass was where the ball might exit, it could be construed as improving the lie.

[johninlongmont]

here's my thoughts:

1. if I'm standing in the bunker, my ball is in the bunker, I take a practice swing and my club head hits anything - I'm thinking I have just incurred a penalty...Marino hit the turf on the lip of the bunker in front of him - likely on or near the line where his ball would have to exit the bunker...he HAS to have been thinking it at least MAY HAVE BEEN a penalty

2. I think that's on his mind while he's standing in the fairway to go for his next shot, and all that pressure and confusion in his mind contributes to his yanking the shot into the ocean

3. it matters, CAUSE IT'S THE RULES!!!...and what about the guys who finished beneath him who should have finished higher and gotten a bigger check?

the PGA needs to resolve this

[Zeph]

I thought we agreed that it was not a penalty. Grass on the lip of a bunker is not a part of the bunker, which means he never touched any part of the bunker.

Quote:

Bunker
A "bunker" is a hazard consisting of a prepared area of ground, often a hollow, from which turf or soil has been removed and replaced with sand or the like.

Grass-covered ground bordering or within a bunker, including a stacked turf face (whether grass-covered or earthen), is not part of the bunker. A wall or lip of the bunker not covered with grass is part of the bunker. The margin of a bunker extends vertically downwards, but not upwards.

Grass is never part of a bunker.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Zeph

I thought we agreed that it was not a penalty. Grass on the lip of a bunker is not a part of the bunker, which means he never touched any part of the bunker.

You agreed it wasn't a penalty based solely on the definition of a bunker*. There are many things involved with preparing to and actually hitting a shot. Marino's actions were unlike anything I've seen while in a hazard. If a guy was doing that same activity while his ball was in the rough - taking practice swings trough the long grass that was on his intended line - he'd at the very least, have his intentions questioned. Those doubts might be unfounded, but it's at least worthy of discussion. If you feel otherwise, avoid the thread.

* within the definition of a bunker is of course reference to it extending down, but not up. Considering the way in which some guys on this forum nitpick everything related to 2nd rate professional's swing mechanics and the etiquette around expectorating, I'm surprised that definition is sufficient. Extending down . . . from where? From the surface of the sand or from the plane of the lip? It may seem rather obvious, but it would be even more obvious with a few more words and a diagram. For more clarity one has to review the decisions. And yes, I realize this has nothing to do with grass, it's just that to me, "down but not up" is the least relevant part of the definition but it's cited most often.