Where to leave bunker rakes?

[Ronald Montesano]

Stick the handle of the rake into the sand, near the edge, so that the rake prongs are closer to the sky. Easy to grab for folks of any height. No need to bend down and injure your already-tender back. Mowers can mow, and sand devils can reach over and grab the rake as they enter the bunker.

[Forrest Richardson]

I am glad to bring rake levity to the GCA crowd. As noted, I prefer no rakes. Footjoys work just fine.

[Mark_Fine]

Pine Valley is the #1 golf course in the world on most people’s lists.  I would follow what they do with their rakes 

[Jim_Coleman]

   The sand at PV isn’t imported. For the most part, it’s very firm. Deep footprints are rare. Not a fair comparison with most courses.

[Mark_Fine]

Jim,
The main reason bunkers are raked during play is because of a concern about “fairness”    It is one of the biggest time and money wastes in golf - grooming hazards.  Yes no one likes being in a footprint but trust me you get them at Pine Valley too. By the way, we tolerate being in a divot in the fairway and fairways are not supposed be to hazardous.

Golfers should just smooth over a deep footprint with your shoe or club as a curiosity to golfers behind you no different than replacing a divot.  Play will go faster and golf maintenance costs will go down.  By the way “inconsistent” or should I sadly say “unfair” bunker conditions are one of the main driving forces behind golf courses renovations.  Talk about driving up the cost of golf. 

[Charlie Goerges]

I probably wasted about five minutes making this.

Nice graphic. And yes, I have zero opinion about where a rake should go. I've been near or against them in multiple of the positions described in this thread. It's just luck I think. If I played a course without any, I'd be fine with that too I think.

[JohnVDB]

The Committee Procedures section on this says:

Position of Rakes
There is not a perfect answer for the position of rakes and it is a matter for each Committee to decide whether it has rakes placed in or out of bunkers.
It may be argued that there is more likelihood of a ball being deflected into or kept out of a bunker if the rake is placed outside the bunker. It could also be argued that if the rake is in the bunker it is most unlikely that the ball will be deflected out of the bunker.
However, in practice, players who leave rakes in bunkers frequently leave them at the side of the bunker which tends to stop a ball rolling into the flat part of the bunker resulting in a much more difficult shot than would otherwise have been the case. When the ball comes to rest on or against a rake in the bunker and the player must proceed under Rule 15.2, it may not be possible to replace the ball on the same spot or find a spot in the bunker which is not nearer the hole.
If rakes are left in the middle of the bunker, the only way to position them is to throw them into the bunker and this causes indentations in the sand. Also, if a rake is in the middle of a large bunker, it is either not used or the player is obliged to rake a large area of the bunker when retrieving the rake, resulting in unnecessary delay.
Therefore, after considering all these aspects, and while recognizing that the positioning of rakes is at the Committee’s discretion, it is recommended that rakes should be left outside bunkers in areas where they are least likely to affect the movement of the ball.
However, a Committee may decide to position rakes inside bunkers to make it easier for maintenance staff to cut fairways and bunker surrounds.

Since I was involved in the writing of that manual I’ll stick with those words.

[Kalen Braley]

John,

Thanks for posting that,  outside them has always been my view too, even if its not a popular opinion in these parts.

And even if ur ball is occasionally "saved" by a rake from going into a bunker, that will never make up for all the times you hit in the fairway and get screwed by coming to rest in a divot.  Golf will always get its proverbial pound of flesh from you.

[Rob Marshall]

Place I played today had no rakes. Salt leaf Preserve. Could go down as one of the worst courses I’ve ever played. Reveted walls in the waste areas but you got two club length relief if you went up against the wall. No green side bunkers on the course. It was hard to see the greens because there was no framing. Ray Floyd design. The starter says “when you get to 4 say a prayer. There is no landing area”. He was right….

[Sean_A]

Jim,
The main reason bunkers are raked during play is because of a concern about “fairness”    It is one of the biggest time and money wastes in golf - grooming hazards.  Yes no one likes being in a footprint but trust me you get them at Pine Valley too. By the way, we tolerate being in a divot in the fairway and fairways are not supposed be to hazardous.

Golfers should just smooth over a deep footprint with your shoe or club as a curiosity to golfers behind you no different than replacing a divot.  Play will go faster and golf maintenance costs will go down.  By the way “inconsistent” or should I sadly say “unfair” bunker conditions are one of the main driving forces behind golf courses renovations.  Talk about driving up the cost of golf.

If you really believe in no rakes, why half ass it with a club or foot? The cost of golf goes up as soon as the bunker is built. Fewer bunkers means less money spent and fewer rakes . I am all for no rakes just as soon as the bunker count is under 25 give or take. If you want to build 100 bunker courses then I am for rakes. It gets old playing from footprints just as it gets old playing from deep rough.

Ciao

[Rob Marshall]

First time I played Bethpage Black I was paired with 3 locals. They said they moved it in the bunkers if in a foot print. Never happened to me but there were an awful lot of footprints. I've never understood not raking a bunker.


Isn't a bunker a hazard for 90% of golfers when they are raked? Is the game so easy that you should have to hit out of someone's footprints?

[Matt Wharton]

I am glad to bring rake levity to the GCA crowd. As noted, I prefer no rakes. Footjoys work just fine.

Returning rakes to the golf course post Covid may be the worst mistake we ever made collectively. Did folks really mind that much there were no rakes on the course when we were just thankful to be on the golf course? I'm with Forest.

[Chris Hughes]

First time I played Bethpage Black I was paired with 3 locals. They said they moved it in the bunkers if in a foot print. Never happened to me but there were an awful lot of footprints. I've never understood not raking a bunker.


Within our group we always played "lift, rake &  place" on all the park courses -- but, if you were plugged you had to re-plug it. 

Bethpage State Park probably has more overall bunker acreage than most facilities have fairways.  I've always wondered what that number is, maybe Phil Young knows!

It's public facility.  Amazes me how many folks at good private clubs walk away w/o raking.  It's just a losing battle at Bethpage, too many bunkers.

I am glad to bring rake levity to the GCA crowd. As noted, I prefer no rakes. Footjoys work just fine.

Returning rakes to the golf course post Covid may be the worst mistake we ever made collectively. Did folks really mind that much there were no rakes on the course when we were just thankful to be on the golf course? I'm with Forest.

Works for me!  Big advantage for good bunker players...

[Tommy Williamsen]

Some places have rakes in the cart. It's a nice idea and declutters the course, but it is easy to forget the rake. Then you must decide, "Do I go back and get it, or do I leave the bunker unraked?"

[archie_struthers]

 


Been talking about this forever. Middle of bunker works best >educate players as to the reason for this, and why not to leave it in edge of bunker.    end of story


If you have no rakes some early players will gain an advantage as play goes on daily

[Michael Morandi]

The obvious solution the card-and-pencil crew don't want to hear: no rakes, no problems.

I’m ok with no rakes so long  as the bunkers are never raked. Otherwise, the first groups out have an advantage.

[Dunlop_White]

Actually, the architecture -- bunker design/style — and its management — has a lot to do with best rake placement. It should vary among courses. It ultimately depends on the physical structure and style of the bunker -- size, shape, profile, depth, orientation, native plant integration, etc. -- and its relationship to critical golf course areas, such as fairways and putting surfaces.

[Chris Hughes]

Some places have rakes in the cart. It's a nice idea and declutters the course, but it is easy to forget the rake. Then you must decide, "Do I go back and get it, or do I leave the bunker unraked?"

At Bay Hill the rakes were on-cart.  One day on #4 my tee-ball ended up in the bunker, barely.  As you describe, I forgot the rake and decided that since such a small amount of the bunker was disturbed, and barely, I'd give it a good foot-rake and be done with it.


I was riding with a member* who had his own private cart...  Without saying a word, he got the rake and smoothed the spot to perfection, and off we went.


I never made that mistake again.


(*Dow Finsterwald)

Been talking about this forever. Middle of bunker works best >educate players as to the reason for this, and why not to leave it in edge of bunker.    end of story


If you have no rakes some early players will gain an advantage as play goes on daily

 




Great point, hadn't really thought about this.

[Matt Schoolfield]

The obvious solution the card-and-pencil crew don't want to hear: no rakes, no problems.

I’m ok with no rakes so long  as the bunkers are never raked. Otherwise, the first groups out have an advantage.

I'm playing a match, so that's really not important to me.

If there is a tournament, I think it's pretty clear that we would want to make sure the condition of the bunkers is equitable. The rest of the 99.99% of golf we play, it really doesn't matter except to the card-and-pencil crew.

[Jason_Bernardon]

When was the bunker rake invented? I would guess golf was just fine and dandy before that unfortunate day.

[Duncan Cheslett]

Rakes should always be placed fully within the bunker.


Having to get off a mower to move a rake out of the way is not only intensely annoying for greenkeepers, it wastes time and therefore costs golfers money. As robots take over most mowing tasks badly placed rakes will cause unnecessary problems.


Just throw the bloody thing back onto the bunker! 😡

[Niall C]

Here's the thing though Duncan, it's not all about the greenkeeper. Yes, it might cost a bit of time and money but what is more important is the golfing experience for the golfer. In some situations with larger shallower bunkers, having the rake handle sticking it makes sense, particularly for the less fit and agile.


Where it makes sense to put the rake in the middle of the bunker is on your typical links with small gathering pot bunkers that have steep sides not only in the face but also at the front and sides. It's very annoying to find a rake head stop your ball half way down a slope with no backswing if you want to play forward.


Niall

[Lou_Duran]

The bunker issue will never be resolved.  Too many clubs face difficult economics with labor being a major component, and many golfers don't seem to think a whole lot about people playing behind them.


The USGA suggested solution is probably the least harmful, though it depends on conscientious golfers placing the rakes carefully outside the bunkers to minimize interference.  At my home club, probably pretty average for the private segment, rakes get placed/tossed in any number of ways when used at all.


I'm not aware of a successful way to get fellow members to care for the course as the etiquette and courtesies of the game call for.  So, since human nature seems to be fairly immutable, perhaps the USGA/R&A should consider modifying the rules to allow bunkers to be treated as lateral PAs (hazards) subject to a single stroke penalty. 

[Matt Schoolfield]

How about this as a design tool to let folks know what to do with the rakes:



Green signals what should be in the grass and beige signals what should be in the sand. It seems like a good way to communicate with the players what they should be doing with the rake, without having to explain it to them.

[Charlie Goerges]

Matt, that looks like a bit of design that Don Norman would be proud of.