Replacing a ball from a water filled bunker....

[Na5carr3]

Hit my drive. It went into a fairway bunker. We get to the spot to find the bunker is slam full of water to the brim. Only a inch or two of sand can be seen around the edges. Where is a replacement ball to be placed/dropped without penalty?

This turned out to be a real argument in the group I was with. Can anyone help?

[mdl]

Under decision 25-1b/8, you can:

1) Drop it where the water is shallowest anywhere not nearer the hole but still in the bunker and play it from the water

2) Take a penalty stroke and drop it behind the bunker

3) Declare it unplayable and proceed under rule 28

https://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-25/#d25-1b-8

[Dormie1360]

mdl is correct, sucks, doesn't it.

I guess it had been raining a lot.  Was this a casual round?  You guys must have been playing for a lot of money.

If it was a friendly round and your ball was in the bunker, I would have said: "We're the committee and we are going to do this:

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-33/#d33-8-27 "

[David in FL]

  Dormie1360 said:

mdl is correct, sucks, doesn't it.  :censored: I guess it had been raining a lot.  Was this a casual round?  You guys must have been playing for a lot of money. If it was a friendly round and your ball was in the bunker, I would have said: "We're the committee and we are going to do this: [URL=http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-33/#d33-8-27]http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-33/#d33-8-27[/URL]  "

Yep, me too! :beer:

[ColinL]

  mdl said:

Under decision 25-1b/8, you can:

1) Drop it where the water is shallowest anywhere not nearer the hole but still in the bunker and play it from the water

2) Take a penalty stroke and drop it behind the bunker

3) Declare it unplayable and proceed under rule 28

https://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-25/#d25-1b-8

  None said:

Just to add to this, if you choose to drop 'behind the bunker", you drop on a line from the hole through where your ball lies as far back as you like.  If you can't retrieve your ball easily, you can substitute another ball.

[Rulesman]

  Na5carr3 said:

Hit my drive. It went into a fairway bunker. We get to the spot to find the bunker is slam full of water to the brim. Only a inch or two of sand can be seen around the edges. Where is a replacement ball to be placed/dropped without penalty?

This turned out to be a real argument in the group I was with. Can anyone help?

If this was a tournament, did you check that the committee had not already made a local rule declaring the bunker to be GUR?

[Na5carr3]

Not a tournament. Yes, money was involved. One player was trying to deem USGA Tournament Play, thus play it in the bunker in the shallowest water but was outvoted by the other two and let me replace the ball on the outside edge of the bunker furthest from the hole without penalty given the fact the ruling was not established before play began. They were all really pissed when I won the hole with a poley par. Couldn't get the sandy as I really didn't play from "real" sand.