I received a lot of answers to by questions last week. These are the answers and I will explain them next week.
Question 1.1: B
Question 1.2: B
About bunkers
On March 20, 2020, the USGA released a guideline in response to many questions sent by members.
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BUNKERS AND BUNKER RAKES
We have removed all bunker rakes from our course to help stop the spread of coronavirus. What options do we have for players who end up in unraked areas?
– By removing rakes from the course, the Committee has various options as to how best to address the likely possibility of a player’s ball coming to rest in an unmaintained area of sand and should consider which is the best approach under your unique circumstances.
– If you have limited play and most players at your course use a golf cart, the best approach might be to ask that each player takes a rake with them.
– If it is decided that no additional Rules will be put into effect to deal with these areas, it would be advisable to strongly encourage that players try their best to smooth the disturbed area with a foot or a club after playing their ball.
– An additional option includes changing the status of bunkers to be part of the general area. This would give players additional options under multiple relief rules (Rules 16 and 19) and would remove the restrictions normally in effect under Rule 12.
· Ground under repair could be used in two different manners. The first being to declare all bunkers to be ground under repair and treat them as part of the general area. This would allow players the option to take free relief outside the bunker under Rule 16.1. The second is to treat disturbed areas only as ground under repair. This would still allow a p-ayer free relief from such areas but would require such relief to be taken elsewhere within the bunker.
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– As a last resort, we have fielded questions as to whether a Committee may add a preferred lies local rule that would allow a player to place the ball elsewhere in a bunker without penalty (such as within one club length of where the ball came to rest). While that may seem like a good option in that it requires players to play from the bunker, there will be times when no effective relief would be available to a player, such as when a bunker is frequently played from and large areas are unraked. It would be recommended that the other options, such as those listed above are considered first, noting that using the ground under repair options above ensure a player will get full relief and when dropping from knee height, balls very rarely plug.
– If a Committee takes any of the above actions, it is at the discretion of the Committee whether scores would be acceptable for handicap purposes.
COMMENT
It is never possible to improve the lie before playing the stroke. As an example, you are never allowed to pick up the ball, smooth the surface and place the ball in the improved lie.
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