Can you take an unplayable lie in a sand trap

GNN may earn a commission from sales generated by those links. See more in GNN's affiliate disclosure. Tags Rules of Golf unplayable lie penalty unplayable lie relief options What is an unplayable lie in golf. About the author. View All Posts. Steep-faced bunkers can present a real challenge, and this additional option will help those faced with shots they struggle to play to keep a round going. Previously, if you play a bunker shot and leave it in there, there is then no option at all to drop outside.

This new Rule ensures you always have the choice to drop outside the bunker, but it will cost you an extra penalty stroke. Additionally if you are unsure of any other rules when it comes to the sand, be sure to have a read of our guide on the bunker rules every golfer needs to know.

Elliott graduated in Sports Journalism in and currently looks after the Golf Monthly news, courses and travel sections as well as our social media pages. He is obsessed with the game and currently plays at West Byfleet Golf Club in Surrey with a handicap index of 2.

He once made an albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa and has made one hole-in-one. Follow all the latest news on the DP World Tour schedule. A look at some of the best deals on the Inesis Package Set. I like the idea. Especially when you add in Fourputt 's point about the almost certain "fried egg. It's a simple change, it's not going to drastically affect anything I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen a pro take an unplayable in a bunker AND the amount of times I've had to do it , and it is logical.

However, regarding the bold I think Dustin Johnson might have something to say about that. I don't get the unplayable lie scenario from the bunker, it just doesn't make sense to me to make it a special case. I can understand maybe it's because in England and Scotland that bunkers are so prevalent.

I would take out that paragraph about bunkers, and let players drop outside of the bunker if they want to. For two "hazards", the bunker is generally much less penal than a water hazard and is much easier to play from.

That gives the advantage to the bunker. In those relatively few instances where you have a lie in a bunker that you can't play, the requirement to drop in the bunker just seems to help even things up a bit.

FWIW, I wouldn't have any trouble treating the two alike. As Fourputt said, you would have to mandate that the drop occurred outside of the bunker, just as it must from a water hazard.

Are you saying that bunkers aren't "prevalent" here? What courses do you play?! I don't know that you would have to. You could just remove the paragraph I bolded. If you're in a massive fairway bunker but buried under the front lip, you might go back 20 yards and still be in the fairway bunker. You're still taking a stroke penalty, and you're still hitting from a fairway bunker. That said, it really doesn't matter to me, and I'd support whichever of the two options was the simplest to implement.

Removing a paragraph seems pretty simple, but the alternative treating bunkers like hazards, which the Rules already do a fair amount is probably also pretty simple. Allowing the drop to happen within the bunker would give a big advantage in options to the bunker, would it not?

If the object is to make the two more equitable, it seems as if the options should be the same. The ubiquitous "they" gave this devil another thought. Originally, "they" wanted everyone to make the unplayable drop inside any hazard, both bunkers and water. On the other hand, dropping in a bunker could actually result in a somewhat playable ball. Thus the allowance for dropping a ball outside of a water or lateral water hazard but not from a sand filled bunker. Players typically only take unplayable lies in bunkers when something extraordinary happens.

They take the penalty… and then still have the 0. I had one of these situation recently. The ball was wedged under the lip. If I swing, which I did, the ball is in the bunker again. If I drop, I am in still the bunker. I never thought about the double indemnity of dropping in the bunker, but I agree this could be a practical alternative. With a good lie, I still only get a sand save 1 in 15 tries. Why should "the object" be to make them more equitable? One is water, the other is sand. In your OP you asked "Why, should a bunker penalize a player more than a water hazard?

I can easily think of circumstances where I'd rather drop within 2 club lengths in the bunker rather than having to play from a spot much further away, but outside of the bunker. It seems to me that you didn't mandate the drop outside of the bunker, as is the case with the water hazard, you're providing a much better set of alternatives to the unplayable in the bunker than you are to that in the water hazard.

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Paste as plain text instead. Only 75 emoji are allowed. Display as a link instead. Clear editor. Other loose impediments which cannot be moved include twigs, dung, snow, natural ice and worm casts. In bunkers, there is an exception with stones. Because stones could pose a risk to the golfer if struck, these can be removed without penalty.

Other things which may be moved in bunkers include any living or dead animals, so if the golfer stumbles across a lion escaped from the local zoo, they are free to move it from the sand, if they wish! Golfers can deem their ball to have an unplayable lie anywhere apart from a water hazard.