Can you ground your club in a fairway bunker?

Asked by: Lasean Ealy

Whether you’re facing a shot from the dry bank of a lake or trying to hit it back into play from the edge of the water, you can ground your club just like you would in the middle of the fairway. Removing loose impediments in a bunker … or your ball.

Can you ground your club in a fairway trap?

Not allowed to ground your club in the bunker



The main rule to follow in bunkers is you are not allowed to touch the sand with your club whether that be grounding it behind the ball, shifting sand on your backswing or having a practice shot in the sand.

When can you ground your club in a bunker?

Grounding a club in the bunker is a penalty in golf for both stroke play matches and match play. The rule prohibits a golfer from grounding his club and making contact with the ground when hitting from a bunker. If the golfer makes contact or disturbs the sand in a bunker, there is a penalty awarded.

Can you ground your club in a greenside bunker?

Touching the sand with a club in taking a practice swing continues to be prohibited both for pace of play and to avoid having large amounts of sand deposited outside bunkers (especially greenside bunkers) as a result of repeated practice swings.

Why can’t you ground your club in a bunker?

The main reason for this rule, as it applies to bunkers, is that grounding the club can affect the ball’s lie, particularly since the golfer will likely strike the sand at or near the spot she grounds her club when she plays her shot.

Can you ground your club in a waste area?

Players can ground their club in a waste bunker, including taking practice strokes and testing the soil. However, golfers aren’t allowed to use practice swings or shot preparation to move loose impediments — sand, shells, loose soil — that are naturally part of the waste bunker.

Can I ground my club in a hazard 2022?

On the subject of hazards, golf’s governing bodies have declared golfers can now touch the ground with their golf club in hazard and can even move impediments in a hazard without any penalty. The rule has been classed as “relaxed rules in a penalty area.”

What are the new bunker rules in golf?

In a bunker, you must not touch the sand with either hand or club, or touch or move any loose impediments in the hazard. You are now able to touch or move loose impediments in a bunker and generally touch the sand with hand or club. However, you still must not deliberately touch it to test its condition.

Can you ground your club in a lateral hazard?

1. Red Lateral Hazard Option 1 – Play it from the hazard, your club may not touch the ground during any practice swing nor can you remove any obstructions with your club or by hand. Option 2 – Replay the shot from the original position incurring a stroke and distance penalty.

Can you putt out of a bunker?

However, when in a bunker, doing so would be a violation of the rules, and a penalty. If you are going to use your putter in a bunker, you need to hover the putter head behind the ball until the club goes in motion. With any luck, you won’t have to putt out of a bunker anytime soon.

Can you use the back of the putter to get out of a bunker?

You don't need to try there's no lip so we can try and putt the ball out of the bunker just use a normal putting technique but add speed to cover your distance you need to add some speed.

Can you ground your golf club in a hazard?

It didn’t matter if the ball was in grass in a water hazard or in the water. You couldn’t ground your club. But under the new golf rules debuting in 2019, those days are no more. A golfer will be able to ground their club in any hazard.