My ball is lodged against a bunker rake. What now? Rules Guy

What do the rules say about a ball resting against a bunker rake?

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The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.

My ball in a greenside bunker was held by a rake so that it didn’t roll down the slope into the bottom of the bunker. I suggested to my playing partners that I lift the rake, which would let the ball to roll down into the bottom of the bunker. After all, that’s what it would have done so if the rake had not been there. Thoughts? —Bruce Gardner, Springs, South Africa

Sounds reasonable, Bruce … only it’s not the proper procedure.

There’s no penalty for removing the rake and causing the ball to move in the process. Nonetheless, you are required to replace the ball on its original spot, per Rules 15.2 and 9.4. If the ball won’t stay at rest on the spot after trying twice, then under Rule 14.2e you would find the nearest spot where it would stay at rest, no nearer the hole and in the same bunker.

The rules of gravity and the Rules of Golf aren’t always one and the same.

For more bunker-related guidance from our guru, read on …

My approach shot landed in a greenside bunker. When I thumped my sand shot, my ball appeared to have split! In fact, there was a range ball just under the sand right behind and under my ball, which my wedge had hit. Both balls moved forward about 4 feet and remained in the bunker. Did I have the option to replay my shot? My partner said I didn’t, and it probably cost us $20, because we had four carryovers on the hole. —Matt Biel, Los Angeles, Calif.

I’m sorry for your loss, Matt. On the bright side, your partner knows his rules. You made a stroke at your own ball. Even though another, abandoned ball was dislodged in the process, you’re not considered to have played the wrong ball, and there is no option to replay the stroke for free. (Also on the bright side, there is no penalty, either — cold comfort, I know.)

That buried ball is a movable obstruction, so you would have been allowed to move it had you noticed it prior to making your stroke. Of course, seeing a buried object is a rather neat trick; instead, you were a victim of rather bad luck. Every golfer knows the feeling at some point.

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Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to [email protected]. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.

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