Ball ended up in a hole in the bunker - what to do?

[///M Power]

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I was playing a social round at McCracken on Saturday with a few mates, hit a long 5 iron to the 18th green and I saw it go into the bunker. I could not find my ball until my mate started laughing and pointing at this hole with my ball in it. I think it was dug by a fox or something.

None of us knew the rules regarding the ball being buried so badly. Seeing as it was a social round I just picked it out and dropped it next to the hole (in the bunker not the cup!!) and took a penalty stroke. What is the correct thing to do? I am only just getting into serious golf so any help would be nice.

Anyone had something similar happen?

Cheers!

[AndyP]

Off the top of my head, you would probably get a free drop from an animal's burrow. Someone else will have the time to look up the ruling.

[sms316]

Off the top of my head, you would probably get a free drop from an animal's burrow. Someone else will have the time to look up the ruling.

If that is what the hole is, free drop, no nearer the hole, but in the bunker. Or drop outside the bunker, keeping the point between the hole and where you drop, with one penalty stroke.

Abnormal ground condition. Rule 25-1 (ii).

[Webster]

If its not in a comp it doesnt matter what you do.

[///M Power]

Cheers guys. I do play competitions sometimes so it would be handy to know what to do in that situation whilst playing in a comp.

[IanO]

sms is right ... you should carry a rule book in your bag (I keep it in a ziplock bag so it stays dry). It has come in very handy a few times on the course.

[MegaWatty]

Wasn't one of those burrowing kangaroos from Kennedy Bay was it?

[Zeusgolf]

Russian rules play it as it lies....

[Johnny Canuck]

Only if Tourfit was blowing a massive lead.

[PerryGroves]

If that is what the hole is, free drop, no nearer the hole, but in the bunker. Or drop outside the bunker, keeping the point between the hole and where you drop, with one penalty stroke.

Abnormal ground condition. Rule 25-1 (ii).

SMS, if there is no free drop, which I would be unlikely to give, if its unplayable in the bunker dont you have to still drop in the bunker?

Remeber seeing someone plug in the face of the right hand bunker on the first at The Lakes, might have been Bob Shearer, he had to drop in the bunker. Only time I have ever dropped outside is when the bunker is GUR

[markTHEblake]

if i was asked, and without checking a rule book, I would say unplayable lie in bunker means, drop in the bunker, or take stroke and distance.

A lot of people seem to also think that a bunker completely full of casual water means a free drop outside the bunker - going back on a straight line. But i think they live in a fantasy world. (Imho no free drop at all)

[Bruce]

It looks like an abnormal ground condition to me due to either burrowing animal or water run off.

As such Rule 25-1(b) seems to apply:
(ii) In a Bunker: If the ball is in a bunker, the player must lift the ball and drop it either:
(a) Without penalty, in accordance with Clause (i) above, except that the nearest point of relief must be in the bunker and the ball must be dropped in the bunker or, if complete relief is impossible, as near as possible to the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole, on a part of the course in the bunker that affords maximum available relief from the condition; or
(b) Under penalty of one stroke, outside the bunker keeping the point where the ball lay directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the bunker the ball may be dropped.

[BrisVegas]

if i was asked, and without checking a rule book, I would say unplayable lie in bunker means, drop in the bunker, or take stroke and distance.

A lot of people seem to also think that a bunker completely full of casual water means a free drop outside the bunker - going back on a straight line. But i think they live in a fantasy world. (Imho no free drop at all)

interesting! Wouldn't it need to be defined as a water hazard to mean a penalty drop? What are you supposed to do if the bunker is full of water?

[sms316]

interesting! Wouldn't it need to be defined as a water hazard to mean a penalty drop? What are you supposed to do if the bunker is full of water?

A bunker is a hazard.

Drop behind the bunker, keeping the point of relief between yourself and the hole. Add one shot.

[Johnny Canuck]

you can always drop where you played the previous shot from as well.

[BrisVegas]

A bunker is a hazard.

Drop behind the bunker, keeping the point of relief between yourself and the hole. Add one shot.

so, does that mean i have the option to drop out of the bunker at any time? for one stroke penalty of course. I've had lies in bunkers where my first shot is simply to un-bury the ball. I'd be better off dropping out of the bunker altogether. Cool!

[sms316]

so, does that mean i have the option to drop out of the bunker at any time? for one stroke penalty of course. I've had lies in bunkers where my first shot is simply to un-bury the ball. I'd be better off dropping out of the bunker altogether. Cool!

You can declare a ball unplayable anywhere on the golf course, except a water hazard (rule 28 ). If you do this in a bunker you have to drop in the bunker.

Abnormal ground conditions however.....

[Johnny Canuck]

once you've played a shot in the bunker, there is no dropping outside of it.

[sms316]

once you've played a shot in the bunker, there is no dropping outside of it.

How do you come to this conclusion?

[Hawkers2008]

How do you come to this conclusion?

This assumes you have played from and failed to extract your ball from the bunker (and no abnormal ground conditions)

Because regressing to the spot where you played your last shot from will still leave you in the bunker.

The water hazard rule has an option to regress to where you last played from outside the hazard, but this doesn't apply to bunkers.

[Johnny Canuck]

This assumes you have played from and failed to extract your ball from the bunker (and no abnormal ground conditions)

Because regressing to the spot where you played your last shot from will still leave you in the bunker.

The water hazard rule has an option to regress to where you last played from outside the hazard, but this doesn't apply to bunkers.

Exactly.

[hyrola]

LOL that is pretty crazy, never seen that before.

Yeah it would be a free drop, in the bunker behind the same line of the pin.

BUT if it was because you tee'd off and launched your ball into outer space and it came down with furious anger and caused that... play as it lies or penalty.

Real men would play that as it lied at any rate, rule or no rule

[sms316]

Yeah it would be a free drop, in the bunker behind the same line of the pin.

[Hawkers2008]

LOL that is pretty crazy, never seen that before.

Yeah it would be a free drop, in the bunker behind the same line of the pin.

If you fail to extract the ball and want to take an unplayable you have all the normal options for an unplayable lie (all of which will still be in the bunker) - the one you identified plus the other two

* as near possible to where you last played
* within two clublengths of where the ball now lies (but still in bunker) no nearer the hole