Bunker rake placement

A common dilemma facing golfers out on the course: where should you leave the rake after you finish raking a bunker? There is no rule stating where the rake must be placed, and the USGA only has a recommendation. With this being the case, each club is allowed to decide for themselves how and where the rakes should be placed. Input from golfers as well as the Grounds staff helps to determine the location of the rakes. At Bretton Woods, the Grounds Department prefers the rakes to be left inside of the bunker, at the low side.

Several reasons account for the Grounds Department’s preference for the rakes to be in the bunkers. First, maintenance of the bunker face grass is easier without a rake in the way. As mowers cut around the bunker, if they had to stop and move every rake, a good deal of time would be added to the task. Secondly, the possibility of damage to a rake that was mistakenly mowed over or simply driven over by a cart cutting too close to a bunker is diminished if the rakes are in the bunkers.

We also feel that the rake being inside the bunkers is a better placement for the golfers as well. When a ball hits a rake that is outside of a bunker there are two possible results: it may either stay out of the bunker or go into the bunker. No one minds if the ball stays out of the bunker but everyone cares if it goes into the bunker. In contrast, if a ball strikes a rake that is in the bunker it again has two possible results: it can pop out of the bunker or stay in. In this case though, the original shot was already going to end up in the bunker. Therefore, the result in which the ball is knocked out of the bunker is a positive and the ball hitting the rake and remaining in the bunker is really only a neutral result since the ball was going in the bunker regardless. Weighing the possible results of a shot striking the rake helps us to determine where the rakes should be for normal play.

Now that the thinking behind placing the rake inside the bunker has been laid out, what about where, within the bunker, should the rake be placed? We prefer the rake to be left at the low side of the bunker. Most of our bunkers have a steep face or slope on 2 or 3 edges and a much lower, gentler slope on the other side. Again, there is an agronomic and golfer related aspect to this reasoning. Agronomically, when golfers try and climb the steepest slope they invariably struggle to get footing and the sod beneath their feet breaks free and slides back in towards the sand. Not only does this cause the bunker to begin to look and play poorly, it also adds maintenance. We must strip the sloughed off sod and replace it with fresh sod to re-establish the edge. Climbing out of the steep slope is also unsafe. Sod giving way under foot can lead to strained muscles or sprains, or worse, falling all the way back in to the bunker. If golfers spend the small amount of extra time to walk in to their ball from the low side- even if their shot is against the far lip- it is safer and can save some maintenance headaches.

While no placement is 100% fool-proof, there was thought given to the choice of leaving the rake inside the bunker. Although some negative outcomes may still happen from a shot striking a rake in this position, in the end there may be a few positive results as well.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org