Bunker rules during Covid

Since rakes have been removed from bunkers, most clubs have adopted local rules. My club is debating whether to allow lift, smooth and place or use the GUR rule as suggested by the USGA of taking 1 club length and dropping in the bunker with no penalty or outside the bunker with a 1 shot penalty..

Personally, some of the bunkers are virtually unplayable with all the foot traffic so smoothing seems to be the logical option.

What rule has your club adopted for bunker play?

None.

FWIW, at least in R&A jurisdiction area LC&P render all rounds invalid for handicap purposes.

We didn't have any either. I did suggest a local rule declaring unsmoothed areas as GUR (no relief if it only affects the stance) but the club staff probably simply forgot about it as they were quite busy with everything else regarding the start of the season and the Covid.

We have preferred lies, one club-length, as do most clubs around here. Does not effect posting for handicapping purposes here.

We required all members to carry a rake. They can bring one from home or buy a rake head that fits on to the shaft of your wedge at GBP 10 from the Pro Shop. Seems to be working so far, the more like ‘real golf’ we can keep it the better.

CONGU has delegated the decision to the national authorities for handicap qualifying scores.

England Golf has provided two options both allowing play it as it lies

1) Preferred Lie in the bunker within 6"

2) Declare badly affected bunkers (eg if no maintenance been done) as GUR.

TBH, my club was opened all this time, And non of members had Covid. I won't tell what club it is - for obvious reason.

Close your eyes and it doesn't exist. ?

Here are the two COVID related rules we adopted in our league:

COVID related rules: Because the flag-sticks are not to be touched, the holes are shallow and there are no bunker rakes, I propose the following two local rules adjustments:

1) Balls hitting the flag-stick or cup and not remaining in the cup but coming to rest within two feet of the hole shall be considered holed. This does not include lip outs that don't actually touch anything but the edge of the hole.  

2) Balls in a bunker may be moved to a smoothed area of the bunker within 12 inches of the original location of the ball. I propose smoothing out a nearby area with your foot and then rolling the ball onto this smooth area. Ball does not have to be dropped. Give yourself a smooth lie, but don't go nuts placing the ball.

I was on a golf trip this past weekend where we used these same rules and the hitting the flagstick rule came into dispute, and we are lucky that the match was resolved without that hole being critical. It was a wedge that either did or didn't hit the stick but came to rest closer than two feet. I was preparing for the 'committee' discussion. I wrote the local rule to be objective: two facts need to be determined: 1) the ball touched or did not touch the stick/noodle/upturned cup, ans 2)came to rest within two feet. It would have been a tough call on (1), because one said he saw it hit the stick and the other said he didn't see it hit the stick.

My goal was to avoid the discussion of "would it have stayed in under the old circumstances", because that is an impossible question to answer. Turning it into a two fact rule makes it simpler (in my mind).

We are allowed to move the ball out of footprints, and unraked areas. Today, my playing partner moved from a fried egg claiming he could move the ball in the bunker. I thought this went against the spirit of the rule, and was shocked he did it.

We play it as it lies, after all bunkers are hazards.

And those rounds are eligible for posting as handicap rounds? Even with option nr 1?

It would be interesting to know the effect on the course rating and slope of a course where effectively all the bunkers have been removed (in the case of making them all GUR).

Our local rule is a drop within a CL if your ball comes to rest in a “disturbed” part of the bunker due to foot traffic.

You have to assess your lie. If you take the drop, even from knee height, it’s going to plug 90% of the time. Most guys I have seen that take the local rule end up in a worse lie than they had.

I just play it as it lies. You’re not required to hit it in bunkers. It’s supposed to be hard. I’d like to see the ruling bodies get rid of rakes, and local rules about bunkers, full time. Play it as it lies. Don’t like the lie? Don’t hit it there.

My club's Board, quite literally, told the members if they don't want a "Covid" lie in the bunker then don't hit it in there in the first place. lol

I love my club.

Yes. But in addition to play as it lies, the club may use either option 1 or option 2 but not both.

NB. We are not on WHS yet.

Doesn't the Equity Rule apply if the ball lies in a footprint under these circumstances? How about these local rules to be fair:

If a ball in a bunker is in a bad lie that would have been raked, the player may place the ball in a preferred lie no closer to the hole.If the ball in a bunker is buried the ball shall be played as it lies.

we should remove rakes from the game in general. will make the sand much more penalizing.

There is no "Equity Rule". As to your either or, what happens if your ball is not just in a footprint (free relief) but also buried at the bottom of the footprint (no free relief)?

Best to keep it simple. Either allow preferred lies in bunker or don't.

No

I remember the Equity Rule as one of the first Rules of Golf, and looking back it was Rule 1-4, but under the new Rules they apparently deleted it.

Yes that would be nice. After I hit my ball out of the bunker I'll make sure my big butt 290 lb frame with size 13 feet leave crator holes for the groups behind me.

It's mandatory for every member at our club to purchase (£5) a small rake that slides over the grip of your club so that the bunkers can be raked after playing your shot. It's a nifty little thing. It takes a little longer to rake your shot and following footprints than normal but our bunkers are generally very good at the moment. I'll take a photo when I next get my clubs out.

Equity means to treat like situations alike. 

And the principle is still in the Rules (20-3) but the wording is different.

Here's the rake attachment I mentioned. I think it's great and don't mind the small charge for bunkers generally being raked by the rest of the members at the club (I always rake, obviously!).

Clubs should just set up a rule that allows all shots in hazards be moved to a place free of trouble and with a clean lie.

But how would this affect returning handicap scores? Has the USGA given any dispensation (as is the case in the UK).

FWIW, in Europe outside UK LC&P in a bunker renders scores invalid for handicap purposes as per announcement from R&A.

It will be interesting to see what the UK does after November 2nd if rakes are still prohibited.