Bunkers themselves can also be called traps, sand traps or sand bunkers. Most golfers use "trap" and "bunker" interchangeably. But golf's governing authorities, the R&A and USGA, only use the term "bunker," never "sand trap."
What are bunkers on a golf course called?
Bunkers themselves can also be called traps, sand traps or sand bunkers. Most golfers use "trap" and "bunker" interchangeably. But golf's governing authorities, the R&A and USGA, only use the term "bunker," never "sand trap." Slang terms for bunkers include beach, kitty litter, sandbox and cat box.
What are the rules for playing in bunkers?
The main rule to follow in bunkers is you are not allowed to touch the sand with your club whether that be grounding it behind the ball, shifting sand on your backswing or having a practice shot in the sand.
Can You ground your club in the bunker?
1. Not allowed to ground your club in the bunker The main rule to follow in bunkers is you are not allowed to touch the sand with your club whether that be grounding it behind the ball, shifting sand on your backswing or having a practice shot in the sand.
Can you play from the sand in a bunker?
So that the challenge of playing from the sand is preserved, there are a few things you are not permitted to do when your ball is in a bunker. These include testing the condition of the bunker, touching the sand right around your ball, and making a practice swing that touches the sand.
What is a golf bunker called?
Bunkers sometimes get colloquially called sand traps, but bunker is the official term used in the rules of golf.
What are the sand pits in golf called?
BunkersBunkers (or sand traps) are shallow pits filled with sand and generally incorporating a raised lip or barrier, from which the ball is more difficult to play than from grass.
What is a grass bunker in golf?
"Grass bunker" is a term many golfers use for an indentation in the ground, or a hollowed-out area on a golf course, that is filled not with sand but with grass. Another way of putting it: A grass bunker is a depression full of rough ... which could certainly be depressing to a golfer who hits into one.
What is a waste bunker on a golf course?
0:031:48Rules Of The Waste Bunker - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipToday we're gonna be talking about bunkers. More specifically the waste bunker are commonly referredMoreToday we're gonna be talking about bunkers. More specifically the waste bunker are commonly referred to as the waste area you may have heard about these before you might not have depending on where
What is a fairway bunker called?
Waste Bunker In some cases, waste bunkers even replace rough altogether and borders fairways directly, or after a margin of first cut.
What are fairway bunkers?
0:034:24FAIRWAY BUNKERS MADE EASY | GOLF EXPLAINED - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe want to make solid. Contact we do not want to take any sand if possible or certainly no sandMoreWe want to make solid. Contact we do not want to take any sand if possible or certainly no sand until we've actually struck the golf ball you can take some after you've hit it.
What is the difference between a sand trap and bunker?
The most significant difference between a sand trap and a bunker is in its design. A sand trap is a man-made pit on the course that is then filled with sand. A bunker is also a depression on the course (either natural or man made), but it doesn't always have to be filled with sand.
What is a sand trap?
Definition of sand trap : an artificial hazard on a golf course consisting of a depression containing sand.
Why do golf courses have sand traps?
Sand bunkers provide a psychological landmark. They accentuate the hole and provide targets for directing the golfer to a defined landing area whether it is the fairway or green. Sand bunkers provide safety buffers for adjacent fairways, tees or greens, both physically and visually.
What are the different types of bunkers?
Types of Bunkers They are at least five types of the bunkers: munitions storage, personal, industrial, artillery, and trench.
Is it legal to take a practice swing in a bunker?
Now, there are still no practice swings allowed in a bunker for both pace-of-play reasons and to prevent players from splashing extra sand out of a trap.
Can u take a practice swing in a bunker?
Touching the sand with a club in taking a practice swing continues to be prohibited both for pace of play and to avoid having large amounts of sand deposited outside bunkers (especially greenside bunkers) as a result of repeated practice swings.
What is a barkie in golf?
If a player's ball hits the trunk or a thick branch of a tree... and the player still makes par on the hole, the player is said to have "made a barkie". KEY: Universal Golf Lingo.
What is sand saves in golf?
A sand save in golf is defined as: “The percent of time it takes a player to get the ball 'up and down' from a greenside bunker, regardless of score”.
What is a sandy birdie?
More often than not, a sand save or sandy is only when a player hits into a greenside bunker, though. Sometimes, players will use a slightly different term for a sand save or a sandy for birdie or eagle, saying it's a "sandy birdie" or a "sandy eagle," tacking on the score made to the word sandy.
What kind of sand is in a golf bunker?
While silica sand is generally preferred over calcareous sands due to its resistance to chemical weathering, many golf courses have been using calcareous sands successfully in bunkers for many years.
What is a bunker?
"A specially prepared area of sand, which is often a hollow from which turf or soil has been removed. These are not part of a bunker: 1 "A lip, wall or face at the edge of a prepared area and consisting of soil, grass, stacked turf or artificial materials, 2 "Soil or any growing or attached natural object inside the edge of a prepared area (such as grass, bushes or trees), 3 "Sand that has spilled over or is outside the edge of a prepared area, and 4 "All other areas of sand on the course that are not inside the edge of a prepared area (such as deserts and other natural sand areas or areas sometimes referred to as waste areas)."
What is a shot out of a bunker called?
A stroke played out of a bunker is called a "bunker shot.". Bunkers themselves can also be called traps, sand traps or sand bunkers. Most golfers use "trap" and "bunker" interchangeably. But golf's governing authorities, the R&A and USGA, only use the term "bunker," never "sand trap.".
What is a cross bunker?
A "cross bunker" is a bunker on a golf hole that is positioned so that a golfer must cross it on the normal line of play for that hole.
What is a greenside bunker?
A "greenside bunker" is any bunker that is adjacent to the putting green. Such a bunker is often said to "guard the green.". A " pot bunker ," sometimes called a pothole or pothole bunker, is a small, round, but very deep type of bunker common on links golf courses . A " church pews bunker " is a long bunker whose length is interspersed ...
What is the rule book for bunkers?
There is a specific rule in the rule book — Rule 12 (Bunkers) — that covers the do's and don'ts of playing from bunkers: what is allowed, what is not allowed. That rule also includes a diagram and video to help golfers understand what the rule book allows and disallows when your golf ball is inside a bunker.
What is a church pew bunker?
A " church pews bunker " is a long bunker whose length is interspersed with rough-covered berms. Church pew bunkers are rare, but one of the most famous bunkers in golf is the church pews at Oakmont Country Club . In the vernacular, one might hear reference to a "grass bunker," a hollowed-out area or depression in which, rather than sand, ...
What is the bunker in golf?
While the hole and the bunker are named for the road that runs behind the green, the deep pot bunker that sits in front might be even more integral to the hole’s strategy. The bunker is deep and difficult to escape, but it is just as much about the angles it forces players to consider from the tee. This bunker usually sits off ...
What side is the bunker on the green?
Sitting just short of the green on the right side is a bunker so small and deep that you need stairs to get in and out. Trying to get a sand shot over the front wall of this funnel-shaped bunker is nearly impossible. The smart shot is often to play out backward.
How do bunkers look like?
Two bunkers sit side by side with a bump (nose) between them, making them appear similar to nostrils. From a distance, you might not see the resemblance, but once you hear their name, it’s hard to think of anything else.
What is the one thing you can find on every hole on every course?
The one you can find on (almost) every hole on every course. Bunkers. And while many bunkers are unimaginative, there are a few that are so great they earn status. Sometimes, status comes from imitation — bunkers that are reused on courses around the world because of their excellence and strategic vigor. Others are so iconic that no one would dare ...
Where are bunkers on the par 5 4th?
On the par-5 4th, there are again bunkers guarding the opposite side of the fairway. You might find islands in bunkers around the US that make lies more difficult, but none will make you pray to the heavens like the pews at Oakmont. It might be more accurate to call our last bunker infamous rather than famous.
Where are the pews in golf?
The “pews” as they are called, are long strips of grass that run from one end of the bunker to the other, perpendicular to the direction of the hole.
Where is the nose bunker on the 16th hole?
The principle nose bunker on the 16th hole at the Old Course at St. Andrews. The name lion’s mouth incites fear into whoever hears it, and for good reason.
Who is the rules guru for bunkers?
In this video, Neil Tappin is joined by rules guru Jeremy Ellwood to look at the rules specifically related to bunkers. They discuss what you are and are not allowed to do to help avoid any confusion and potential penalty shots.
Can you put two clubs in a bunker?
Additionally if you take two clubs into the bunker to see which one to use, once you have decided you can put the club you decided not to use on the ground too. Also you can use the club to steady yourself if the bunker is particularly steep of precarious to get in to.
Can you find your ball in a bunker?
Unplayable Lies. Sometimes you may find your ball in a completely unplayable area of a bunker. The options here include the usual options of going back to play the previous shot again from wherever that was, you can drop within two clubs lengths no nearer the hole or in line for a one-stroke penalty.
Can you ground your golf club in a bunker?
1. Not allowed to ground your club in the bunker. The main rule to follow in bunkers is you are not allowed to touch the sand with your club whether that be grounding it behind the ball, shifting sand on your backswing or having a practice shot in the sand.
Can you take a drop back in line outside of a bunker?
Indeed the old rules said this drop still had to take place in the bunker but under the new rules you can take a drop back in line, outside of the bunker but that would be with a two-stroke penalty, not one. In terms of water in a bunker, you are entitled to relief from that but you must take relief within in the bunker.
Can you touch sand with a golf club?
You are not allowed to touch the sand with your club like this. It should be noted that there are some exceptions regarding you or your club touching the sand. First you are allowed to tidy up other parts of the bunker away from where your ball is lying for care of the course purposes.
What is a bunker in golf?
A bunker is defined by the USGA Rules of Golf as a "prepared area of ground, often a hollow, from which turf or soil has been removed and replaced with sand or the like.". The key word is "prepared.". Usually it is obvious when a course designer has built a bunker, because it is well-maintained, raked and smooth.
What is waste bunker?
Waste Bunker. The USGA says the term "waste bunker" is one of the "Top 10 Misused Terms in Golf.". The Rules of Golf do not even mention waste bunkers or waste areas. When golfers refer to waste areas or waste bunkers, they are describing areas that don't fit the definition of either hazards or bunkers.
Is there a penalty for hitting a golf ball in a waste bunker?
Because a waste area or waste bunker is not a hazard, there is no penalty if your ball winds up in one. It is treated as an area that the USGA defines as "through the green," which includes the fairway, rough and all other areas on the course that are not bunkers or hazards. The penalty for grounding your club in a sand bunker, or hitting the sand on a practice swing, is two strokes.
Is Whistling Straits a sand bunker?
The PGA of America decided to define all of the sandy areas on the Whistling Straits course in 2010 as sand bunkers instead of waste bunkers. Since the course has numerous bunkers and patches of sand -- close to 1,000 -- the intent of the PGA of America was to eliminate confusion. Some said Johnson should have asked for a ruling.
What is bunker in golf?
A bunker, according to the definitions in the Rules of Golf, is a “specially prepared area of sand, which is often a hollow from which turf or soil was removed”.
What is a ball in a bunker?
A ball is also in a bunker when any part of it is “in, or on, a loose impediment, movable obstruction, abnormal course condition or integral object that touches sand in the bunker or is on ground where sand would normally be”.
What is the rule for sand in golf?
But, under Rule 7.1b, if sand affecting the lie of a ball is moved while you’re doing that, you must recreate the original lie in the sand. This rule allows you to “leave a small part of the ball visible if the ball had been covered by sand”. If you play without doing this, you’re going to be penalised two shots.
How to take care of a bunker?
These include: Digging in with the feet to take a stance. Smoothing the bunker to care for the course. Placing clubs, equipment or other objects in the bunker – whether by setting or throwing them down. Leaning on a club to rest, stay balanced or prevent a fall. Striking the sand in frustration or anger.
What is the rule for unplayable ball?
Rule 19, unplayable ball, is here to help and you’ve got four options. The first three carry one penalty stroke and allow you to either take stroke-and-distance relief, take back-on-the-line relief and drop it in the bunker, or take lateral relief of two club lengths in the bunker.
Can you find your ball in a bunker?
Yes, you’ve found your ball in a bunker. If it’s not hard enough extricating yourself from the sandy mess, you also have to remember the Rules of Golf that govern what you can do when you’re within the confines of the bunker. So let’s get into it, and next time all you’ll have to worry about is getting it out.
Is sand inside a bunker?
Soil, or “any growing or attached natural object inside the edge of a prepared area”, is also not part of a bunker. Neither is sand that has spilled over, or is outside the edge of that prepared area, nor all other areas of sand on the course that are not inside the edge of such a prepared area (unless defined as such by a committee).
What is bunker golf?
Bunkers are one of the five defined areas of the course. Your ball lies in a bunker when any part of it touches the sand. So that the challenge of playing from the sand is preserved, there are a few things you are not permitted to do when your ball is in a bunker.
How to play from a bunker?
In preparing to play from a bunker, you can set your clubs down in the bunker and rake the bunker to care for the course before playing, as long as you aren’t testing the bunker or improving the conditions for your next stroke.