Loose impediments in bunker

[misterlau]

how would you play this?

The rule on loose impediments in bunkers is pretty cut and dry, but I wanted to see how most people deal with this situation. I'm usually unhappy when I find my ball in a bunker filled with dirt and rocks (especially when a big stone is sitting right behind my ball), but I'll usually play it as it lies as long as I don't think I'm going to damage my clubs badly. The other day, a playing partner hit his ball into a fairway bunker. When we got to it, we found that a branch about 18 inches long with a bunch of leaves still attached to it was directly behind his ball. It was just a casual weekend round, and I don't think the guy keeps a handicap anyway, so we didn't really discuss it. He just tossed the branch aside, hit his ball, and we moved on.

How would most of you have handled this? I try to follow all the rules as closely as possible, but this did seem like a very unlucky break. The position and angle of the branch and leaves made it almost impossible to address the ball or hover the club anywhere close to it. If you did try to hit through the branch/leaves and it remained in the bunker, would you remove it after your shot? I'm thinking leaving it in would really suck for the next guy, just like when people don't rake and leave huge footprints behind.

[lander215]

After damaging my GW this summer and having it now unplayable, I don't take shots that could potentially damage my equipment. But a tree limb...I'd probably suck it up and play it out sideways, then toss the branch out of the bunker and rake.

[Sawgrass]

I'd have accessed whether it was likely that hitting down through the branch into the ball was likely to get the ball out of the bunker -- or at least away from the branch. If I decided there was a good chance I'd get out or free, I'd hit away. Otherwise I'd take an unplayable and drop in the bunker away from the branch. I'd only remove the branch after I was safely out, so a following golfer wouldn't suffer.

 

As a note, you can't clean up the loose impediment prior to taking an unplayable drop:

 

13-4/35.7 Player Deems Ball Unplayable in Bunker, Lifts Ball and Then Removes Loose Impediment from Bunker

 

Q. A player's tee shot comes to rest in a bunker. He lifts his ball from the bunker after deeming it unplayable. Before selecting an option under Rule 28, he removes a loose impediment from the bunker. Since this action took place while his ball was lifted, i.e., it was not lying in the hazard, was the player in breach of Rule 13-4?

 

A. Yes. The prohibitions of Rule 13-4 apply when a ball is in a hazard or when a ball, having been lifted from a hazard, may be dropped or placed in the hazard. Under the unplayable ball Rule, two of the player's options require him to drop a ball in the bunker. The player would incur the penalty even if he subsequently elected to put a ball into play outside the bunker under Rule 28a. However, the player would not incur the penalty if, before removing the loose impediment, he had indicated that he would put a ball into play outside the bunker under Rule 28a and subsequently did so.

 

 

[PaddyK]

How come you dont remove stones? I don't think I have ever played a course that doesnt have a local rule allowing thier removal from bunkers.

[avrag]

[quote name='PaddyK' timestamp='1319350004' post='3706899']
How come you dont remove stones? I don't think I have ever played a course that doesnt have a [u][b]local rule[/b][/u] allowing thier removal from bunkers.
[/quote]

That's the point.
Courses that have stones in the bunkers really should have this local rule.

[Simp]

Personally, It wouldn't bother me if he removed the branch as I would've done the same thing since it was a casual round.

[Newby]

[quote name='Simp' timestamp='1319418307' post='3709507']
Personally, It wouldn't bother me if he removed the branch as I would've done the same thing since it was a casual round.
[/quote]

I thought the USGA handicap system required all rounds to be returned AND to be played according to the Rules of Golf

[DCSerafin]

[quote name='misterlau' timestamp='1319323409' post='3705799']
The rule on loose impediments in bunkers is pretty cut and dry, but I wanted to see how most people deal with this situation. I'm usually unhappy when I find my ball in a bunker filled with dirt and rocks (especially when a big stone is sitting right behind my ball), but I'll usually play it as it lies as long as I don't think I'm going to damage my clubs badly. The other day, a playing partner hit his ball into a fairway bunker. When we got to it, we found that a branch about 18 inches long with a bunch of leaves still attached to it was directly behind his ball. It was just a casual weekend round, and I don't think the guy keeps a handicap anyway, so we didn't really discuss it. He just tossed the branch aside, hit his ball, and we moved on.

How would most of you have handled this? I try to follow all the rules as closely as possible, but this did seem like a very unlucky break. The position and angle of the branch and leaves made it almost impossible to address the ball or hover the club anywhere close to it. If you did try to hit through the branch/leaves and it remained in the bunker, would you remove it after your shot? I'm thinking leaving it in would really suck for the next guy, just like when people don't rake and leave huge footprints behind.
[/quote]


I've played in a few MGA (MASS GOLF ASSOCIATION) Publinks and each time I have, there was a local rule allowing the removal of stones bigger than a thumb-nail from the bunker. A branch is another matter. IT is tough, but I probably would have taken an uplayable, removed the loose impediment and played on. Here is the issue with trying to play it with the branch in place. It sounds like it would have been difficult to avoid hitting the branch/leaves prior to the down-swing which means a 2 stroke penalty would have been issued for breach of 13-4-c

[Simp]

[quote name='Newby' timestamp='1319441746' post='3710427']
[quote name='Simp' timestamp='1319418307' post='3709507']
Personally, It wouldn't bother me if he removed the branch as I would've done the same thing since it was a casual round.
[/quote]

I thought the USGA handicap system required all rounds to be returned AND to be played according to the Rules of Golf
[/quote]

Maybe so, but I'm a rebel. I don't hit out of divots either. And sometimes, when no one is looking, I'll pick my ball up without marking it to clean it. That's just between you and me though.

[Augster]

[quote name='Simp' timestamp='1319463359' post='3710859']

Maybe so, but I'm a rebel. I don't hit out of divots either. And sometimes, when no one is looking, I'll pick my ball up without marking it to clean it. That's just between you and me though.
[/quote]


I don't really know how "rebellious" you are considering the MAJORITY of "golfers" play exactly this way.

To the OP, just suck it up. Either take a drop in the bunker taking an unplayable lie, or punch out sideways. Golf is full of bad breaks so it's good to get used to them. Ultimately, it's just one more penalty stroke in your life. Not really a big deal when you look at the big picture.

Played with a guy today that can't stand bad breaks. He was pitching from 50 yards short of the green, and hit the little "CARTS--->" rubber sign which is in the fairway to direct golfers away from the green. His ball hit it in the air and came backwards about 40 feet.

Angry, he had me move the sign, then rehit without penalty from the same spot. It seemed to me the proper procedure would have been to move the sign before the first shot.

Some people play golf, some are out doing something "golf-ish".

[green-keeper]

[quote name='DCSerafin' timestamp='1319455921' post='3710587']
. A branch is another matter. IT is tough, but I probably would have taken an uplayable, removed the loose impediment and played on. [/quote]

If you take an unplayable ball in a bunker, you have to drop the ball in the bunker (unless you chose to go back to the spot where you made your last stroke).
Then you must not move the lose impediment, as long as your ball is in the bunker.

Greenkeeper

[Uberish]

If I was playing in a competitive tournament or for money I'd follow whatever the rule is.
But casual rounds, I make sure to remove any pebbles/stones that could potentially damage my club.
I gouged a brand new lob wedge in a bunker and don't want that happening again.
If the course doesn't want to keep their bunkers clean then my clubs shouldn't suffer for it.

[Newby]

[quote name='Uberish' timestamp='1319733911' post='3726621']
If I was playing in a competitive tournament or for money I'd follow whatever the rule is.
But casual rounds, I make sure to remove any pebbles/stones that could potentially damage my club.
I gouged a brand new lob wedge in a bunker and don't want that happening again.
If the course doesn't want to keep their bunkers clean then my clubs shouldn't suffer for it.
[/quote]

Apart from the fact that most clubs have the Local Rule alowing you to remove stones from bunkers, how do you reconcile the USGA requirement to play by the rules when putting in a handicap score?