A
hhh, the beach - a peaceful place where your troubles
can simply melt away. That is, unless you’re on a golf
course. The beach - or more properly referred to as
a “bunker” can be a golfer’s worst nightmare. Defined by the
Rules of Golf, a bunker is a hazard consisting of a prepared area
of ground, often hollow, from which turf has been removed and
replaced with sand or the like. A bunker is a hazard indeed, and
Rule 13-4 tells us everything that we can (and cannot) do while
our ball lies in the dreaded bunker.
First the prohibitions: Before a player makes a stroke
at a ball that is in a bunker, he must not test the condition of
that bunker or any similar hazard. An example of testing the
condition of a bunker is the player who splashes sand when
taking practice swings. The player must not touch the ground in
the bunker with his hand or a club. The third and last prohibition
is that the player must not touch or move a loose impediment
lying in or touching the bunker. Loose impediments are natural
things like stones, leaves, twigs and branches.
These prohibitions are straightforward, but don’t get
too comfortable – there are some exceptions to keep in mind.
Provided the player does not test the condition of the hazard or
improve the lie of the ba