- Mar 9, 2005
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- Thread Starter
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- #31
Not so sure about your last statement Augster....about testing in the sand before re-dropping after going out of bounds....since the player knows he has to drop there, I would think it's illegal to test.
Rule 13-4 decision 37. Not familiar with that one? Here it is:
13-4/37 Ball Played from Bunker Is Out of Bounds or Lost; Player Tests Condition of Bunker or Smoothes Footprints Before Dropping Another Ball in Bunker
Q. A player plays from a bunker and his ball comes to rest out of bounds or is lost. He smoothes his footprints in the bunker at the place where he must drop a ball under Rule 27-1 or, before dropping a ball under Rule 27-1, he takes a few practice swings touching the sand in the bunker. Is the player in breach of Rule 13-4?
A. No. The prohibitions in Rule 13-4 apply only when the player’s ball is in the hazard or when it has been lifted from a hazard and may be dropped or placed in the hazard. In this case, the player’s ball has been played from the hazard rather than lifted.
Furthermore, Exception 2 under Rule 13-4 allows a player, after playing his ball out of a hazard, to smooth sand or soil in the hazard, without restriction. This right overrides any conflicting provisions in other Rules, including Rule 13-2.