On the 9th hole of a round I was playing last week, a player in the group in front of us hit a shot out of the left green side bunker. He then proceeded to walk right past the rake and onto the green. He didn’t rake the bunker. Standing in the middle of the fairway about 145 yards I yelled, “rake the bunker.” He yelled back, “what?” I put my arms up in the air and yelled, “rake the bunker!” He was obviously irritated and inconvenienced. He walked into the bunker, did a couple of lame strokes with the rake and threw the rake violently into the center. Then he looked back and stared at me with an F-you attitude.
This is a rake. It is used to smooth out footprints and divots in sand traps. USE IT!
I’m sorry, but at what point did raking the bunker become such a problem? This must be the same clueless bonehead who yells “get in the hole” or “you’re the man” at the top of his lungs in PGA Tour tournaments. Same guy that doesn’t replace his divots or takes a chunk out of the putting green when he swings his putter in disgust.
Etiquette
Let’s cover some basic golf etiquette for those of you who apparently need a lesson. Sadly, many golfers don’t seem to be getting basic etiquette, or they’re choosing to ignore it. I guess they just watch the 16th green at the Phoenix Open and figure that golf is all about being an obnoxious, inconsiderate beer guzzling moron.
If you go in a sand trap, RAKE IT.
If your ball makes a mark on the putting surface, FIX IT.
If you take a divot from the fairway, REPLACE IT.
If your group is lagging behind the group in front of you, or you are being pushed by the group behind you, MOVE IT.
Next Post
Stay tuned for my next rant etiquette post: “The big a-hole covered in tattoos decked out in Florida State gear who thinks flipping the flagstick and damaging the hole is cool.”
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
I agree with you 100% . I see it everytime I play. I hate it. I fix every divot near my ball. I also repair any ball marks I see on green. If I end up in bunker I rake it
I fix between 5-10 ball marks on every green while my partners are putting or chipping. I figure the golf gods will show me some love for that and give me some breaks.
I was brought up to show respect to the golf course by replacing divots, raking bunkers and repairing divots. It is not rocket science, just simple good manners towards the course and the golfers who will be following your game.
You and me both. Somewhere that got lost.
we use to play myrtle beach but we had to make rules for the traps. I rake it to make it better for the next poor guy in a trap
Exactly Tom. If we all adopted that attitude it would be better for everyone.
Not many people are going to be good at golf. But we all can be good at etiquette. Who are these entitled apes? Have they never ended up in a footprint in a bunker? Silly me, if they did, they’d just kick it to a better lie.
I agree. When did golfers lose common courtesy? That is one of the reasons we play the game. It’s a game with sportsmanship, good attitudes, and courtesy for the course and those around you. Hate it when it turns into poor manners and poor etiquette. Makes the game less enjoyable.
I often play late afternoon golf and I am forever ending up in someone’s footprints in the bunkers. They probably assumed no one else was playing that day and it wouldn’t matter that they didn’t rake, but there are always late golfers like myself that get stuck with it. Another amazing thing I see a lot is people that rake where they hit out of the bunker, but don’t bother to rake their footprints on the way out!!! Argh!!!!
Hi Tony,
I have about given up on members of my club understanding and/or following what you and I believe is basic etiquette. I can only imagine what their homes look like; unmade beds, clothes laying all over their bedroom floors, tuperware containers full of moldy leftovers and lawns not mowed!
Maybe if people like us keep reminding these boneheads bout their responsibilities, they will either adhere to the etiquette or give up the game. We can dream can’t we.