Ball in giant unrepaired footprint in bunker ?

[boogielicious]

It is a stinky situation unfortunately.  there are a few Munis around Boston that don't even put the rakes out after Nov 15.  Take it as a challenge and play it as it lies.  Take a good close look at the lie and see if you need to treat it as a plugged sand shot or if it is really just a normal sand shot in a depression.  Check to see if you approach from a different angle, it becomes easier like hitting it out to the fairway for an easy pitch shot.

It is kind of like the pot bunkers in the British open course.  I know we all want to shoot better scores.  But sometimes its the hard shots that make us the most proud of our game and not just the low scores.  If you were able to hit this one close, you would have a great story to tell your golf buddies.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

It is a stinky situation unfortunately.  there are a few Munis around Boston that don't even put the rakes out after Nov 15.  Take it as a challenge and play it as it lies.  Take a good close look at the lie and see if you need to treat it as a plugged sand shot or if it is really just a normal sand shot in a depression.  Check to see if you approach from a different angle, it becomes easier like hitting it out to the fairway for an easy pitch shot.

It is kind of like the pot bunkers in the British open course.  I know we all want to shoot better scores.  But sometimes its the hard shots that make us the most proud of our game and not just the low scores.  If you were able to hit this one close, you would have a great story to tell your golf buddies.

My home course in Colorado stores the rakes away at the end of the handicap season on November 16, along with the tee markers.  Until March 15 you just set your own tees and in the bunkers you either play it as it lies like I do, or you move it if that suits your style.  After I play, I still use my feet and club to smooth the sand as best I can.

During the winter, I'm just glad to be able to play at all.  I like to pretend that I'm playing back before they used rakes.  I just enjoy the good lies and resign myself to playing the bad ones as best I can.  It's all fun, any which way.

[David in FL]

My home course in Colorado stores the rakes away at the end of the handicap season on November 16, along with the tee markers.  Until March 15 you just set your own tees and in the bunkers you either play it as it lies like I do, or you move it if that suits your style.  After I play, I still use my feet and club to smooth the sand as best I can.   During the winter, I'm just glad to be able to play at all.  I like to pretend that I'm playing back before they used rakes.  I just enjoy the good lies and resign myself to playing the bad ones as best I can.  It's all fun, any which way. :dance:

Worse than that are courses that insist on putting rakes on the carts instead of out on the course in the bunkers.... That GUARANTEES that people will inadvertently leave a rake behind and finish the rest of their round without one.....

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

When the rules were written, courses were where sheep and cattle lived. Hoof prints were normal. Play the ball as it lies.Rakes weren't introduced until about 60 years ago.

Fair enough.

[Golfingdad]

Why are you blaming other players? How do you know it wasn't Bigfoot?? :)

[David in FL]

Why are you blaming other players? How do you know it wasn't Bigfoot?? :)

No way. He'd never meet the dress code..... :-D

[Ernest Jones]

What kind of giant?

[SouthernBuckeye]

Originally Posted by inthehole

I play public muni courses and often people either don't know or don't care about properly fixing footprints in bunkers.    It finally happened last time out ... my ball wound up in a 4 inch deep footprint.     Someone didn't even make an attempt to rake their footprints.    Simply no humanly way possible to get the ball reliably out from that kind of lie.    Now, I know we have to play it as it lies, but comon, why should I be penalized for someone else's carelessness ?     I moved the ball a few inches over on the flat sand ... no way I was gonna let somebody else's carelessness potentially ruin my round (that lie was so bad I could realistically see it costing me several strokes that I shouldn't have had to lose).     Those footprints were so deep it took me a couple minutes to rake it properly so the next guy wouldn't have to deal with it.

If this has ever happened to you, do you just chock it up laddy as the rub of the green or better your lie ?

Originally Posted by Fourputt

I'd have played, but that's just how I see the game.  If it was truly unplayable, then I'd declare it as such under Rule 28 and take the penalty drop in the bunker.  The rules don't care what the PGA Tour does, or what happens in a private club.  Both are irrelevant.

I would have to agree with Fourputt, I know that it is unfortunate that you are at the mercy of boneheads in front of you but sometimes that is just life and you have to deal with it.  Also there are boneheads on private courses also.

[MacDutch]

So you were unlucky and should have played it as it lies, or drop and take the penalty. Next time you play a ball in the water and it skids over to hit the green for a very lucky birdie what will you do? Write down a double bogey because it was too lucky? I bet you would'nt do that.

There is only one name for what you did, its called cheating.

[newtogolf]

I doubt anyone would care if you weren't playing for money or submitting your score for handicap purposes.  Write it off as a practice round and move on.

[inthehole]

Originally Posted by MacDutch

So you were unlucky and should have played it as it lies, or drop and take the penalty. Next time you play a ball in the water and it skids over to hit the green for a very lucky birdie what will you do? Write down a double bogey because it was too lucky? I bet you would'nt do that.

There is only one name for what you did, its called cheating.

OUCH on the cheating allegation, but I was hoping there was a "spirit of the rule" kind of ruling that might have saved me from having the deal with someone else's neglegence.   I wish you all could have seen how deep that footprint was (should have taken a picture - really, it was comical ...  I would have rather swung a shovel than tried to get it out with a golf club ... as many have said,  taking an unplayable penalty would have been the correct choice).      Obviously from the responses, I was wrong to not play it as it lies or to have not taken the penalty & dropped, which is what I wanted to know - lesson learned, thx.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by inthehole

OUCH on the cheating allegation, but I was hoping there was a "spirit of the rule" kind of ruling that might have saved me from having the deal with someone else's neglegence.   I wish you all could have seen how deep that footprint was (should have taken a picture - really, it was comical ...  I would have rather swung a shovel than tried to get it out with a golf club ... as many have said,  taking an unplayable penalty would have been the correct choice).      Obviously from the responses, I was wrong to not play it as it lies or to have not taken the penalty & dropped, which is what I wanted to know - lesson learned, thx.

There IS a spirit of the rules thing.  It is called compliance.

[joekelly]

Get over it Inthehole. It's only a game. We learn a day at a time. Guilt cannot help you, you made no mistake.

[zeg]

Originally Posted by joekelly

Get over it Inthehole. It's only a game. We learn a day at a time. Guilt cannot help you, you made no mistake.

Well, to be accurate, he did make a mistake, and he knows the rule for next time.

I don't see any evidence that he's flogging himself in penance over this.

[stangmark]

Your entitled free relief from any man, animal or naturally (trenches from run-off, puddles, ect.) made deficiency that interferes with your lie or stance, even in a bunker, but in a bunker you must recreate the original lie---if it was buried halfway you must depress the ball halfway; plugged then plug it----and you cannot relocate the ball any farther from the original lie than is needed.

[Rulesman]

Originally Posted by stangmark

Your entitled free relief from any man, animal or naturally (trenches from run-off, puddles, ect.) made deficiency that interferes with your lie or stance, even in a bunker, but in a bunker you must recreate the original lie---if it was buried halfway you must depress the ball halfway; plugged then plug it----and you cannot relocate the ball any farther from the original lie than is needed.

What nonsense.