4. Sand and Green Play

Sand Play

Sand bunkers are tricky and can also be really daunting for beginners, plus there are a few rules which you will need to know.  When entering the bunker tread on the least amount of surface possible to get to your ball.  You are permitted to remove any loose impediments or movable obstructions in the bunker without penalty.  However, you must not intentionally touch the sand to “test it” with your hand, your club, the rake or any other object.  This will result in penalty shots if you do.  You also cannot clip the sand with your club during a practice swing or when you are lining up to take your shot.  Your club must not be grounded in the bunker pre-shot.  You are permitted to dig with your feet though, to take a solid stance.     

Often the Driving Range will have a bunker where you can practise, this will really help with feeling more confident about bunkers in no time and one thing to remember when practicing is to take as much sand with you when you play your shot out!  Or better still, go and have a bunker lesson with a Pro who will also advise you on technique of hitting good shots and controlling your ball out of the sand.

NB: Before Covid-19, you would normally have to rake sand bunkers after you have played out of them.  Do check in to see what the status is at the course you are playing and what the protocol is, as most courses have removed rakes from their bunkers for the time being.

Green Play

Marking your Ball - Once you have reached the green, there are a couple of key rules of which you need to be aware.  Once the ball comes to rest on the putting surface you may mark it with a coin, or disk and this must be placed behind the ball before you can lift and clean it.  Please also remember to repair any pitch mark that your ball has made on the green.    

Remember to replace your ball in the exact same spot in front of your marker.  You must also mark your ball if you are near or on the line of someone else’s ball where there might be a risk of a collision.

Who Putts First? - Generally speaking, whist on the green, it is important to remember that the person to putt first is the person whose ball is furthest away from the flag.  Although in some circumstances, you may putt first for example if your ball is in their line of play and your marker may obstruct their shot, or when playing ‘ready golf’ to speed things up.

When on the green, do not walk on the line directly between the hole and another players ball.  Footprints can disrupt the roll of the ball during a putt. Do not stand directly in the line of sight of another player when they are putting and make sure you are not casting a shadow over their line or the hole.

The Flag – In or Out? - During Covid-19, we have been required to keep the flag in whilst putting.  During normal times, you do have the option to remove the flag whilst putting.  But certainly, keeping the flag in does speed up play, but it is a personal choice.

Once all players have putted out, please exit the green quickly and move away to the next hole.  Do not start marking your scorecard until you arrive to the next tee.

NEXT WEEK: - Water Hazards & Out of Bounds - drops Fri 23rd October 2020