Show me a person that states they haven’t performed this as well as I’ll present you a phony. It’s a future – purposefully or even typically – undoubtedly every golf enthusiast has actually experienced at some time.
You’ve struck connoisseur a bunker, you’ve overcome the scary, as well as you’re attempting to obtain it out in as couple of tries as achievable.
Then as you’re drawing back to attack, you find it – away from the section of your eye a couple of surfaces of sand have actually changed as the nightclub creates its own means to the leading of the backswing.
Uh-oh. Thus allow’s consider this concern I obtained on e-mail:
“If a gamer contacts the sand on their backswing in a bunker, performs the try requirement to become repeated, or even is it simply a one movement fine included in ball game for that opening?”
So what is it? Keep one’s cool as well as proceed? Prepare to return? If it’s a charge, what is actually the penalty? If you’ve ever before thought about this while out on the training course, right here is actually the solution you’ve been actually trying to find…
Touching sand on backswing in a bunker: What occurs today?
You’ve received that draining sensation, haven’t you? Our experts commonly speak about gamer honesty in golf as well as this is among those conditions for which the claiming was actually created.
Unless you’ve received a person supervising your shoulder, you are actually commonly visiting be actually the only individual to understand this has actually occurred. What to perform?
For a begin, you don’t require to replay your discharge as well as, for those proceeding that notion, you will merely require to change your round if you created it to relocate.
But there are actually limitations on when you can easily handle the sand as well as they’re summarized in Rule 12.2b.
These have actually been actually kicked back a small amount because the 2019 Policies improve. For instance, you’re certainly not punished if you connect for the sand while comically tripping.
As long as you’re refraining it to purposely assess the ailment of the sand or even are actually enhancing ailments influencing the movement, you can easily bank on a nightclub to remainder, or even to keep well balanced. You can also chuck a nightclub in to the catch – though if it properties in the region right ahead or even responsible for your round you’re visiting reside in issue.
Touching sand in the bunker with a club when making a backswing for a stroke? That isn’t allowed – along with doing it if you make a practice swing, or if you’re doing something to try and get information for your next stroke.
The penalty often provokes a bit of debate because it’s pretty severe. It’s not a one-stroke penalty. Pressing sand in a bunker on your backswing is two in stroke play and it’s loss of hole in match play. That’s because the sanction for a breach is the general penalty.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column. Get in touch along with your questions through emailing me at [email protected]
What do you think about these touching sand on backswing in a bunker rules? Let me know through leaving behind a talk about X.

