Rules, morals and spirit of the game

General Discussion
#1

I know we have some rules experts here whose input I would value to this question but also the general population of this forum.

Last Sunday, playing well, lovely weather, looking like shooting low 80’s. 17th, par 3 uphill, I pull my tee shot into the bunker. When I get there it is right under the face, literally there is an overhand and the ball is under that, it cant go up and I cant hit is sideways with any real purpose (would have to reverse the club).

So, I declared it unplayable and took a drop in the bunker. I don’t like bunkers. My attempt to get out lands on the bank and rolls back in. Second attempt gets out but snags in light rough on edge of the green. Eventually get down in 7, quad bogey. Ouch.

In the club house, another member hears the tale of woe and remarks he would have done one of two things. Either take the unplayable and re-hit the tee shot or take ‘back on the line of relief’ 2 shot penalty and look to chip over the Green. Assuming the later I would have been on the green for 4 and taken either 5 or 6, Saving at least one shot.

As far as I can tell he is correct but it doesn’t feel right. I hit it in the bunker so I feel I should hit it out. Then again, I am all for stacking the odds in my favor.

So what would you guys do, keeping in mind you may well be better sand shot merchants than me!

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#2

Unplayable Ball in Bunker

Q.I don’t think I can play my ball as it lies in the bunker (unplayable) – what are my options?

A.If you don’t want to or decide you can’t play your ball as it lies when your ball is in a bunker, you may decide it is unplayable. If you do this, you have four total options, and two will always require that you take relief inside the bunker. You have three one penalty stroke relief options. (1) You may play a ball from the spot of your previous stroke (if this spot was out of the bunker, this option gets you out of the bunker; but if your last stroke was from in the bunker, you must stay in the bunker) (see Rule 19.2a). (2) You may take back-on-the-line relief in the bunker (see Rule 19.2b). (3) You may drop in the bunker within two club-lengths of where your ball lies but not nearer to the hole (see Rule 19.2c). (4) Your fourth relief option comes with two penalty strokes – you may get out of the bunker using the back-on-the-line relief option (see Rule 19.3b).

OR get really frustrated look around and when no one is looking utilize the TOSS method…LOL! Most people prefer the underhand TOSS as it lands softer! :rofl:

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#3

I wouldn’t feel bad about taking the 2 strokes. Two strokes is a lot! I’ve thought about it before but never done it. And I’m speaking as a solid 10% sand save guy so it’s not like I’m confident out of the sand. Having said that, I’ve seen some bunkers on TV that I would definitely take back on the line relief from.

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#4

See I’m not afraid of bunkers. I have varying tools in my bag depending on sand, feel of sand on my feet as I try to take a stance, or hardpan sand or wet sand. This year I’ve holed out 3 bunker shots. I’ve gotten up and down in 2 about 29.7% of the time (and that’s because my putting is not as good a it could be) and up and down in 3 about 95% of the time. The other 5% is well obviously more than that. But that’s not bad. I’m pretty steady. Over the last 68 rounds I’ve hit 42 green side bunkers. Not that my app trax what I’m doing…LOL! BUT I use varying degrees of loft and bounce to assist me. I have a wedge with 8*, 10* and my SW has 12* of bounce and bounce is your friend in a fluffy bunker. Quite simply, there are a ton of instructional vids on you tube and none of them are far off base on the techniques you need to get out of a trap. BUT you gotta practice until you feel confident and still know you are gonna hit a bad shot too. So…stick with your practice, it is part of the game and strive to get up and down in 3 as much as possible.

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#5

I would have taken the unplayable in the bunker as well…in all honesty I might have tried to blast the ball out as it lay because I am not always smart enough to use the rules to my advantage.

If you get a chance try out a wide sole lower bounce lob/sand wedge along the lines of an XE1 and the like. They really do work well especially if you are playing at a place that doesn’t have nice fluffy bunkers. The wide sole provides more effective bounce and you don’t have to open the face.

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#6

I’d have taken stroke and distance if the lie was truly that gnarly. Though admittedly, I have a vertical launch bunker shot, so it’s not something I have to do all that often.

I think Mike covered the options pretty well in his previous post.

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#7

I won’t talk about improving your sand game, only the morals and spirit of the game mentioned in the title. To me, the Spirit of the Game means playing by the rules, nothing more. There are plenty of times when the rules will cost you strokes. But if you know the rules, there are times they will save you strokes. Using the rules in ways to lower your score is absolutely within the spirit of the game.

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#8

When I was pretty new in this game, I embraced every one of the bad lie, extraordinary lie so I could get a chance to practice these shots which was not an option on the driving range.
Hit balls in a divot in the fairway ( playing partner encouraged me to move the ball out of the divot because it was “not fair”). hit 195 yards low grass burner ( ball was under the low hanging branches of a tree lining the fairway )to a green fronted by a bunker and stopped in 15’.
156 yards fairway bunker shot to a tight green. I may not succeed each time however, it was fun to give it a try. I would get excited with adrenaline pumping while executing these shots. In other words, I love the challenge.
The title of this thread representing the spirit of this game. Only the rules can be confusing at times. Even the tournament officials would not be 100% bullet proof.

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#9

Tournament officials are generally pretty good, and they have something the players don’t have. A radio, they can call and get help when they’re not sure.

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#10

Yes, they do have the option of conferring with others in the club house who will have additional options. Even with all the help, there is a chance they’ll make mistake.
But the responsibility lies on the player’s shoulders.
There is no second guess for the moral and the spirit of the game.

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#11

Thanks all, some great points that I will address in one.

Clearly I need to be better at bunker play. But have not real opportunity to practice. My club has a couple of practice bunkers (minus the sand) so when the course is quiet and I’m alone I do play out of each greenside bunker as I go round. At the moment just from a decent lie. However I don’t think I would ever be able to get out of the position I had at the weekend. The ball needed to come up at about 110 degrees to miss the overhang!!

In terms of clubs I have a 54 degree with 13 degrees of bounce for ‘proper’ sand and a 58 with 10 for harder packed sand. But the issues are me, not the bats!!

My general take away is that if its within the rules then its all good, no faux pas as far as we are concerned!! Cheers gents!

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#12

Technically speaking… yes, the issue is you… BUT, I would say it’s probably employing improper technique. Once I learned to employ the proper technique, once I learned how to gauge the texture of the sand (or lack of, or wetness) and what club to employ… getting out of a standard bunker with like a 3 or 4 ft face is pretty easy. It’s one of the only shots you are actually not hitting the ball and your miss area is 1-2 inches and as long as you stay anchored and accelerate…you are out! My goal is to get up and down in 3 out of a bunker, anything else is bonus and I cash in on that 95% of the time and actually better my goal like 29% of the time. Being in a bunker is supposed to be a penalty. So rule one is stay out of them. One way to practice, if you have a net… I went to home depot and got some decorative sand, filled up a 3-4 inch deep box like you buy beer in, drop balls and hit into my net in the yard. I did that years and years ago.

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#13

There’s always a small chance that anyone will make a mistake, or even that a group of experts will. Even so, Officials get damn near every decision right. But if the player follows the guidance of a Rules Official, he will not get penalized, the “responsibility” is lifted from his shoulders.

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#14

Oh, it’s different than what i remembered from the book of rules. Good to know.

#15

Check Rule 20.2d. I don’t really remember what it was like before 2019.

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#16

I did look back at the 2016 Rules. 34-2 and 34-3 basically say that a Referee’s decision or a Committee’s decision is final. Players were bound by those decisions, and couldn’t be penalized if they complied with those decisions.
I admit I get a little touchy when I think that Rules Officials are being unfairly criticized. I know from personal experience the amount of study and effort it takes to even start officiating, I know how strongly the emphasis is placed on getting things right. Even at your local level, most Rules officials have attended workshops and seminars (at their own expense), have found a way to pass the regions qualifying exams (go try the USGA quizzes to see what its like). The show up at events and work long days for the price of a turkey sandwich and a bag of chips. And they try their best to get every single ruling right (hence the radio, to consult with other highly educated officials), and try their best to SAVE players strokes whenever they can.

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#17

“go try the USGA quizzes to see what its like”
Yes, I did, and for the most part it was not that confusing. What might throw me off was the situation generated issues.
If the school could use real life examples instead of classroom simulating models, it might be a better education.
If there is a school to educate the future rules official with on course examples and situation; by using past ruling. That, will be wonderful.
They can even establish a certification process for identifying those who had gone through the system to be more confident to identify the situation and applying the correct rules.
I wonder why there wasn’t one created. I’d bet each region will need a dozen of these certified officials at the minimum. Local PGA member should be encouraged to go through such hands on education. Instead of depending on years and decades of experience, this could produce some knowledgeable official in a shorter time.

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#18

I know there’s more, am waiting for the edit, to see how you did.

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#19

Pass the test as there was a minimum one need to score correctly, not 100%. Did it to satisfy the requirement for a local club application of the USGA.

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#20

I know this will come across as over simplistic, and yes there are occasions where I have to pull out my phone and hit the rules book. BUT, 95% hit it, find it play it as it lies. Don’t move anything that’s permanent, don’t break anything that’s permanent, don’t cause the ball to move. If you hit over the white lines, although there is a new rule, go back and hit it again. If you hit into the red or yellow areas, play it as it lies or take a proper drop, or go back and hit it again. If you can’t hit it, take the proper drop… then hit it. If can’t hit it because of unusual circumstance, tire tracks etc or casual water, take the free drop and hit it. If its on a path, play it where it lies or drop it properly no penalty. BUT 95% of it…play it where you found it as you found it until you hole it!

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