That\u2019s right, folks, we\u2019re talkin\u2019 about bunker-raking.<\/p>\n
There is, evidently, a right and wrong way to do it. And let me just say this now, especially to those of you who may have taken up golf in the year, I don\u2019t know, let\u2019s call it 2020: doing it at all is a great first step. It\u2019s depressing to say that, but there are folks who\u2019ve played this game for decades that don\u2019t even do the bare minimum. Hit into a big fairway bunker at any muni in the country and you\u2019ll see just how little respect everyday golfers have for not only the course but their fellow golfers.<\/p>\n
That said, just a simple once over rake job sort of doesn\u2019t cut it, especially for greenside traps. Not saying you should take care in fairway bunkers, but the greenside traps require your full attention. That\u2019s where you\u2019re digging in the most, that\u2019s where the most foot traffic occurs, and that\u2019s where you\u2019re most likely to screw someone over in a group behind by not giving it the proper attention.<\/p>\n
Rule No. 1: Never, ever enter or exit from the highest point of a bunker. Always find the low point, regardless of where you ball sits, so as to not damage the grass on the edge of the bunker\u2019s high points or the faces of the bunker. And because you\u2019re not playing on tour, you can bring the rake with you to make the job easier, just don\u2019t test the sand with it before playing your shot.<\/p>\n
After you\u2019ve played your shot, grab your rake, teeth side down, and begin \u201cpushing\u201d and \u201cpulling\u201d over the spot you\u2019ve played the shot from as well as where your stance was. This will smooth out all the imperfections, as opposed to just raking in one direction. This may seem like it\u2019s taking forever, but it\u2019s the proper way to do it, and the group behind you, the one behind them, and so on and so forth, will thank you for it. Maybe not literally, but in spirit. Using \u201cpace of play\u201d as an excuse to not take care of the course is B.S., and if a group behind is pissed that you are taking too long to rake a bunker, then they are simply a casual who does not know ball, and they should be shamed for it.<\/p>\n
Lastly, as you\u2019re doing your final pushing and pulling when you exit the bunker, flip the rake over and push and pull with the \u201csmooth\u201d side to smooth the edges. This is a move straight from the caddies of the PGA Tour, who are pro bunker-rakers. As Lowell Miller, teaching professional at Rockaway River Country Club in Denville, N.J., points out in this great instructional video (view on Miller\u2019s Instagram here),<\/a> this will allow balls to roll more toward the center\/low points of the bunkers and not get caught up around the edges, making for impossible, even unfair shots.<\/p>\n Of course, the more woke golf nerds out there will tell you that bunkers should be true hazards again, and that rakes should be banned. I don\u2019t totally disagree, but that\u2019s more an argument for the highest levels of golf. For private clubs and public courses everyday golfers play on, rakes aren\u2019t going anywhere. And as long as they are here you should use them properly, with the golfers behind you in mind.<\/p>\n Do you have a “stupid” golf problem? A question you’re too ashamed to ask your close friends? A conundrum that needs to be talked out in a public forum? We’re here to help. If you have etiquette-related inquiries or just want to know how to handle some of the unique on- or off-course situations we all find ourselves in, please let us know. You can email me (chris.powers@wbd.com) or send me a DM on Twitter\/X (@Cpowers14<\/a>) or on Instagram (@cpthreeve<\/a>).<\/p>\n