Rules Guy: A rake is keeping my ball from rolling into a bunker. What do I do?

The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.

On a steep slope, my partner’s ball was stopped from going into a sand trap by a rake. When he removed the rake, the ball rolled into the trap. Does he play it from the trap or replace it back on the hill? —Steve Glusman, Boynton Beach, Fla.

One day in the not-too-distant future, golf ball manufacturers will come up with a virtual parking brake on their products that will nip this situation in the bud. Or perhaps it will involve AI. (Rules Guy, as you may have suspected, was an English major back in the day, and understands almost nothing of technology, save perimeter weighting.)

For the moment, we have the rules of golf to guide us. Under Rule 15.2, the rake is a movable obstruction, and so when a ball at rest moves as a result of moving a movable obstruction there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced. It goes back to that spot on the hill … while the search for a golf ball with a parking brake continues.

For more rake-related guidance from our guru, read on …

My ball is behind a bunker that I have to play over in order to reach the green. The bunker hasn’t been raked by a previous player, with many footprints and a big divot. Can I rake the bunker prior to my shot in case that’s where my ball winds up? —Tim Harmer, Wendouree, VIC, Australia

Optimism isn’t exactly your long suit, is it, Tim? Alas and alack, under Rule 8.1a(3) you’re not allowed to improve any bunker on your line of play by smoothing footprints or un-raked areas. A breach gets you the general penalty of two strokes in stroke play and loss of hole in match play.

Perhaps ironically, you can take care of a bunker that isn’t on your line of play to care for the course. Another thing you can do: Believe in yourself! Get that ball airborne and over the bunker, Tim! As the kids say, Let’s gooooo!

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Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.