Dogs in the bunker

[achadha7]

So our local public coutse has stray dogs and they sit / play in the bunkers. Guy i was playing with hit his ball into the bunker where the dogs had dug up a little bit. He picked up the ball smoothened out the bunker and replaced the ball. Is tht allowed ? Wouldnt that change the lie of the ball. How do you come to know what the exact lie of the ball was?

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

No, it's not allowed. Play it as it lies. Sorry about your luck that dogs were playing in the bunkers.

[achadha7]

My argument was play it as it lie but he said otherwise, neways it was the 9th hole and he was down 10 strokes and lost another 4 this hole. Thanks

[Stretch]

As far as I know, you only get relief (anywhere on the course) from holes made by "burrowing animals" -- which does not include dogs.

In a casual match, though, I'd personally be inclined to grant my opponent relief, in equity. Same way I would if a kid had built a sandcastle and his ball was right in front of it -- it just shouldn't be there.

Quote:

Burrowing Animal: A "burrowing animal" is an animal (other than a worm, insect or the like) that makes a hole for habitation or shelter, such as a rabbit, mole, groundhog, gopher or salamander.

Note: A hole made by a non-burrowing animal, such as a dog, is not an abnormal ground condition unless marked or declared as ground under repair .

[Rulesman]

What Rule was he suggesting that gave him permission to repair the bunker and lie?

[tomvk77]

To me a bunker is a trap, so your not allowed to clean and rake the bunker. 2 shot penalty for that.

What would he have done if there where footprints?

[achadha7]

What Rule was he suggesting that gave him permission to repair the bunker and lie?

[quote name="tomvk77" url="/t/66105/dogs-in-the-bunker/0_100#post_829602"]To me a bunker is a trap, so your not allowed to clean and rake the bunker. 2 shot penalty for that. What would he have done if there where footprints?  [/quote] He did not quote a rule as such and i didn't object to harshly anyways since i was on in 2 and my 5 iron had carried 220-230 off the tee and was in a good mood, but will remember for next time There are dog foot prints in the bunker and several players / caddies don't rake the bunkers either ( frustrating) but have not come across that situation, is there a rule book App for the iphone / android phone

[Rulesman]

Originally Posted by achadha7

He did not quote a rule as such and i didn't object to harshly anyways since i was on in 2 and my 5 iron had carried 220-230 off the tee and was in a good mood, but will remember for next time

There are dog foot prints in the bunker and several players / caddies don't rake the bunkers either ( frustrating) but have not come across that situation, is there a rule book App for the iphone / android phone

I believe the R&A; and USGA do both. Check their websites or google

[Mordan]

One of the courses I play a bit has a local rule that provides relief from kangaroo paw prints in bunkers. But then you're just taking a drop in the bunker and are most likely to end up at least partially plugged so it's not a great result either way.

I've played the course maybe 10 times and only once ended up in a kangaroo paw print, but ended up in golfer footprints more than once. There are a lot of inconsiderate golfers who play that course, rarely do you pass a bunker that doesn't have at least one set of unraked footprints in it.

[Rulesman]

That is of course an unauthorised local rule.

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by Rulesman

That is of course an unauthorised local rule.

Burrowing kangaroo's!

[achadha7]

Burrowing kangaroo's!   ;-)

Lol Our course allows us to take a free drop if in a cart path, most cart paths are just mud / hard non grassy ground

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by tomvk77

To me a bunker is a trap, so your not allowed to clean and rake the bunker. 2 shot penalty for that.

What would he have done if there where footprints?

Just to clarify.  A bunker is not a "trap".  Under the rules there is no such thing as a "trap", sand or otherwise.  A bunker (the correct rules word for a sand trap ) is a hazard , and most of the prohibitions for water hazards also apply to bunkers - such as testing the conditions, touching the surface with club or hand, moving loose impediments.  There are differences though (taking relief, whether with or without penalty is one of the key differences), so that must be kept in mind.

[Rulesman]

A bunker is a hazard. ie hazardous. Enter at your peril. You have been warned - Keep Out.

[Mordan]

Originally Posted by Rulesman

That is of course an unauthorised local rule.

How should you handle that during a competition? I'd imagine that you have to play by the rules of the committee even if they're unauthorised otherwise it would be chaos.

Another course I play a bit has marked nearly everything outside of the cut rough as a lateral water hazard. While there's quite a bit of water and some of the areas would fill with water quite often, there is one place that is a small mound, above the height of the fairway and it's still marked with red stakes.

[Rulesman]

Play by the rules set down by the competition committee. It keeps a level playing field.

If a dispute arises where an appeal would normally be made to the ruling body then they will not give a ruling.

[boogielicious]

Packs of wild dogs and Kangaroos!  I have got to play these courses!  Anyone see anything else exotic like rattlesnakes, prairie dogs or meerkats?

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

Packs of wild dogs and Kangaroos!  I have got to play these courses!  Anyone see anything else exotic like rattlesnakes, prairie dogs or meerkats?

Lots of critters in FL.  Deer, turkeys, gators, hawks, eagles, snakes and even bears are so common they don't even get a mention.

One course I play does have a population of burrowing owls though.  That's very cool.