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My approach shot landed on the lip of the bunker, held in place by the handle of the sand rake. If I move the handle, the ball falls into the sand trap. The rules state that the rake is a movable object and can be moved with the ball replaced at its original location. Here’s the trick: the ball doesn’t stop – it lands on the shoulder of the bunker closest to the hole, and in a more favorable lie in the fairway. Can I play from the new position? -Richard Fetterman, Banning, CA
Nice and reasonable as it may sound, Richard, you really can’t. Even though it was held in place by the rake, your ball landed in a specific place. That rake, as you noted, is a moving obstacle, but per Rule 15.2 you need to return the ball if it moves.
If the ball does not stop when you try to replace it, after the second attempt, kick the nearest place in the correct area of the course and not closer to the hole where the ball stops – see Rule 14.2e.
For more placement guidance from our guru, read…
I recently saw something unfair at a pro tournament. A player’s approach landed and stopped in the middle of the green. His playing partner needed a decision before playing his approach, which took several minutes. During this delay, a large gust of wind blew into the green, sending the ball off the putting surface. In these unusual circumstances, the ball can not really be replaced where it was? -Mike Keller, via email
Actually you can’t, Mike, even though it may seem unfair. If the ball had not been lifted and replaced, then the player needed to play the ball as it lies.
It’s no different than what happened when the same thing happened after a 250-yard approach and the ball started to roll as the players walked to the green – the ball was moved by natural forces, so Rule 9.3 says to play as it lies from where it rolled.
We will also note that the first player could have walked forward and marked his ball while his partner was in judgment, which would have saved him a situation that really blows.
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