The rules of golf depend entirely on what your purposes in playing are. For the vast majority of people who play casually, you can choose to follow the rules as much or as little as you would like. Such legalistic concerns around bunkers really only apply to the tiny fraction of people who play in tournaments.
Greenside bunker-walk into bunker, pick up the ball, rake the sand so the bunker is silky smooth, place ball on fringe. The group behind you will appreciate this time saving and course maintenance effort.
I have been in some bunkers that were in just awful condition from lack of maintenance, previous players, or both. I don't consider rolling my ball in those to be cheating.
Yeah......most of the courses I play the bunkers are Ground Under Repair....pick it up...find a nice fluffy spot behind the bunker...take a nice swing and then chunk it back into the bunker... wash , rinse, repeat.
Just discovered your channel. Think you're based out of Atlanta? Have you played Heritage in Tucker? Talk about unforgiving greens. Would love to see your reactions
Rules or not, if my ball ends up in a foot print or any other spot in a bunker because some inconsiderate person didn't rake it before me, you better believe I am going to change my lie and I don't care what the other players think. But that's fine, because I don't play competition golf anyhow. Pro golfers get freshly raked and thoroughly raked bunkers. I don't get that luxury, because of the drunks that play the course who couldn't care less about the quality of the course for everyone else.
Same here. These are rules for well maintained golf courses with very competitive players. I rake well past the footprints that I make so in payment I get to move my ball out of the old footprints.
That’s the best part about a couple of my local courses- you never have to rake, or worry about footprints, because the sand is basically concrete. You just give it a whack, order a new wedge, schedule wrist surgery, and move on with your life. No rake needed
I guarantee you there's money games where this takes place. But in official USGA amateur events and Pro events I doubt very many players ever cheat because it goes against the Spirit of the game of golf. And if anyone is caught cheating, that stays with them the rest of their career. Patrick Reed had a reputation that started in college and has never left him.
I have a question. Watching the US Open and Rory hit into the grass above a bunker and they ruled that his ball was embedded and he got a free drop. Would this not be the same situation with a ball buried into a bunker. I know he got a drop in the wrong spot but he did get a free drop as his ball was embedded below the playing surface like your sand shot example.
Nope, embedded ball rule does not apply in bunkers since that is not an abnormal playing condition. Balls don’t usually embed in grass unless it’s really wet which is considered abnormal. In fact there’s even a clean and place rule when it’s really wet that lets you pick your ball up, clean it, and place it back in the same lie.
Most of guys I play with in the social group nearly do all these you said and it never helps em win Usually they take 4-5 to get out of the bunker I never say anything because we arnt playing for sheep stations so if they wanna cheat they are only cheating themselves
at what time before your tournament round for the day are you allowed to check out the slope of the greens and the condition of the sand? Before all play begins ?
Agree for any tournament level play.... however, the grey area is a bit nitpicky...since it's difficult enough getting on the green.... especially from deep bunkers 😉
If I carefully find the plugged ball and take my shot only to find it was not mine as I would have to have lifted it to identify it, have i broken the rules as I hit the sand before playing my actual ball.
I'd like to get good enough that these kinda cheats actually matter to my game. Plugged? On top of a leaf? Yeah, odds are good I'm putting this one into the trees/water/hazard if it were teed up in the fairway.
The testing the lie is a bs rule. A course I play all the time I know the sand. A course I have never played no idea. Firm wet sand, gotta clip it. Soft fluffy sand splash shot. Try a splash in firm sand. Blade it 60 yards. I get it for pros but for amateurs we should be allowed to test the sand
I always test the sand. I've been burned too many times by greenskeepers who rake 1/4" of sand over hardpan and I end up blading my sand shot 60 yds into the woods.
At my club additional rules are given for comps on the day. Bad weather/winter conditions allow for rake and place. Another course i play at has a rule for bad conditions to use a fairway mat or otherwise place the ball in the first cut and play from there with no penalty if you don't have a fairway mat.
Can't play out of a footprint but it sure gets frustrating when the footprint is 3" deep. If you play behind some bad groups who don't maintain bunkers you can get in real trouble.
Great cheat tips in the bunker ! I need some cheat tips when I’m in trees . Everyone is bad in the bunkers but I could make up to 5 strokes with some cheat tips from the trees. I love these cheat videos! My golf buddies are to busy drinking I can get away with cheat tips . 😂
wait until they all have their heads back and their beers up, then take your swing, swear, and say you hit it long. then be first to the green and "find" your ball just over the lip of the green.
im not shy, i wil literally hit 3 off the tee box. also been know to pick up the ball and move it from the woods to the middle of the fairway. lucky for me i dont keep score either.
Clearly phidip.2328 does not understand the philosphy behind golf. The rules are not there to control what you do on the course. The rules are there so you can follow them building a mindset of honesty that can be applied to all or your life. Also the rules teach you that sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and take life as it comes at you.
"Can't test the conditions of the sand" in the bunker you are in. You can go to a different bunker and hit 20 practice shots if you want. Just not in the bunker you are in.
This is almost a "tips" video, but seriously, if you're worried about cheaters, find new golfing friends. Most people play for enjoyment and not prep for the US Open.
My favorite way to cheat from the bunker is to have another ball in my hand. Then hjt the sand aggressively throwing up a big cloud of sand to hide my tossing the ball in my hand up to the pin.
10:49 that is wrong you can go as far back as you want. BUT you have to stay in bounds. so you can not get around the world but you can go back further than your last shot.
The rules of golf depend entirely on what your purposes in playing are. For the vast majority of people who play casually, you can choose to follow the rules as much or as little as you would like. Such legalistic concerns around bunkers really only apply to the tiny fraction of people who play in tournaments.
In Australia, most weekly club competitions are played as stableford scoring system.
Hence rules apply.
@@geoffcohen613what percentage of golfers are members of playing clubs…?
Hence the comment🙄
very similar to casual football players who don't follow offside
Rule 12:2b
I think that goes without saying
Greenside bunker-walk into bunker, pick up the ball, rake the sand so the bunker is silky smooth, place ball on fringe. The group behind you will appreciate this time saving and course maintenance effort.
This would all imply I can actually get out of the bunker in the first place 😂
We do that too
I found my first when in was 16, and I haven't touched green grass since. It's bee 84 years.....
I have been in some bunkers that were in just awful condition from lack of maintenance, previous players, or both. I don't consider rolling my ball in those to be cheating.
Some claim I cheat by not hitting into the bunkers...we then proceed to have a good laugh as I feed my balls to the fish. lol
We not going to talk about how you damn near holed that one shot out? Like sheesh
Yeah......most of the courses I play the bunkers are Ground Under Repair....pick it up...find a nice fluffy spot behind the bunker...take a nice swing and then chunk it back into the bunker... wash , rinse, repeat.
I play with friends that don't cheat. If you play with cheaters its time to change who you play with.
Chunk it into the bunker again…and again, and again, and again 😂😂😂
Thanks for the ideas Matt! Seriously though, I don't play serious enough matches where I care about most of these things.
This was actually quite educational. Thank you
Just discovered your channel. Think you're based out of Atlanta? Have you played Heritage in Tucker? Talk about unforgiving greens. Would love to see your reactions
at my course, one of the bunkers was wet and damaged and a local rule of GIR applied, so in this case had to drop in a drop zone out side bunker.
I’m waiting for the mold to dry then I’m going to find that person with the thunder foot that didn’t rake the beach
Rules or not, if my ball ends up in a foot print or any other spot in a bunker because some inconsiderate person didn't rake it before me, you better believe I am going to change my lie and I don't care what the other players think. But that's fine, because I don't play competition golf anyhow. Pro golfers get freshly raked and thoroughly raked bunkers. I don't get that luxury, because of the drunks that play the course who couldn't care less about the quality of the course for everyone else.
Same here. These are rules for well maintained golf courses with very competitive players. I rake well past the footprints that I make so in payment I get to move my ball out of the old footprints.
That’s the best part about a couple of my local courses- you never have to rake, or worry about footprints, because the sand is basically concrete. You just give it a whack, order a new wedge, schedule wrist surgery, and move on with your life. No rake needed
@@thetowndrunk988 🤣
These rules are great for courses with nice fluffy sand but play some courses and you need to break a rule or two just to keep your sanity.
Yes, the bunkers out here where I play are dirt and not sand.
I guarantee you there's money games where this takes place. But in official USGA amateur events and Pro events I doubt very many players ever cheat because it goes against the Spirit of the game of golf. And if anyone is caught cheating, that stays with them the rest of their career. Patrick Reed had a reputation that started in college and has never left him.
Appreciate the tips on how to get away with cheating :)
I have a question. Watching the US Open and Rory hit into the grass above a bunker and they ruled that his ball was embedded and he got a free drop. Would this not be the same situation with a ball buried into a bunker. I know he got a drop in the wrong spot but he did get a free drop as his ball was embedded below the playing surface like your sand shot example.
Nope, embedded ball rule does not apply in bunkers since that is not an abnormal playing condition. Balls don’t usually embed in grass unless it’s really wet which is considered abnormal. In fact there’s even a clean and place rule when it’s really wet that lets you pick your ball up, clean it, and place it back in the same lie.
Most of guys I play with in the social group nearly do all these you said and it never helps em win
Usually they take 4-5 to get out of the bunker
I never say anything because we arnt playing for sheep stations so if they wanna cheat they are only cheating themselves
We generally allow a player to rake where the ball lies and then roll the ball back it. However, some guys build a "Sand Tee"!!!😆
at what time before your tournament round for the day are you allowed to check out the slope of the greens and the condition of the sand? Before all play begins ?
I read in golf digest that you could take practice swings, in another bunker not the one your ball is in any truth to that
Agree for any tournament level play.... however, the grey area is a bit nitpicky...since it's difficult enough getting on the green.... especially from deep bunkers 😉
Thanks Matt. Good info nicely presented. 👍
If I carefully find the plugged ball and take my shot only to find it was not mine as I would have to have lifted it to identify it, have i broken the rules as I hit the sand before playing my actual ball.
Thank goodness I'm not good enough to play for money
I'd like to get good enough that these kinda cheats actually matter to my game.
Plugged? On top of a leaf? Yeah, odds are good I'm putting this one into the trees/water/hazard if it were teed up in the fairway.
So... I can't pick up my ball, rake the sand, put my back? Ni got to tell my friend 😂😂😂
The testing the lie is a bs rule. A course I play all the time I know the sand. A course I have never played no idea. Firm wet sand, gotta clip it. Soft fluffy sand splash shot. Try a splash in firm sand. Blade it 60 yards.
I get it for pros but for amateurs we should be allowed to test the sand
The bunkers at the same course vary too. Drainage pipe barely covered. No sand at the bottom. A foot of sand at the bottom. Yup, test/rake prior to.
@@glennwiebe5128 If you play it often you know. Thats my point. And using the rake for the purpose of testing is cheating.
I always test the sand. I've been burned too many times by greenskeepers who rake 1/4" of sand over hardpan and I end up blading my sand shot 60 yds into the woods.
Here's a question. if you take an unplayable from a bunker and go back in line to a bunker that is further away, is that legal?
The footprint lie could be countered if on the day the course rule was for a clean and place ? 🤔
At my club additional rules are given for comps on the day. Bad weather/winter conditions allow for rake and place. Another course i play at has a rule for bad conditions to use a fairway mat or otherwise place the ball in the first cut and play from there with no penalty if you don't have a fairway mat.
Can't play out of a footprint but it sure gets frustrating when the footprint is 3" deep. If you play behind some bad groups who don't maintain bunkers you can get in real trouble.
Great video. However, I'd be taking a lot of moulds in bunkers at my course. 🤣 Not sure I'd want to carry that much plaster of paris with me.
You can tell he has a lot of experience against the local hacks' hacks.
Great cheat tips in the bunker ! I need some cheat tips when I’m in trees . Everyone is bad in the bunkers but I could make up to 5 strokes with some cheat tips from the trees. I love these cheat videos! My golf buddies are to busy drinking I can get away with cheat tips . 😂
wait until they all have their heads back and their beers up, then take your swing, swear, and say you hit it long. then be first to the green and "find" your ball just over the lip of the green.
Matt thanks for the tickets to the Masters ! My wife gets a little bored with golf . I need a tip on getting her cell phone through security. 😂
Wow, this was a very educational vid on topics seldom addressed at address
Who would care if someone brushed the sand behind the ball, not coming in contact w it???
Thx for the How to Tips!
Great info
Great stuff
Damn, you're giving away all my secrets 😂
Thanks for the new pointers 😂
Thanks for the bunker tips...😂😂😂😂😂😂
If a ball is plugged testing the sand does nothing. Ur slamming the blade behind the ball regardless of sand.
"You'll never know they just cheated" one second later "that one was pretty obvious " which is it?
I still love watching a guy using a putter out of a bunker because the cant hit a wedge.
You can take a ball out of the bunker for an playable lie but it's a 2 stroke penalty
footprint rule, can't we make every golfer have their name printed on their shoes..........
im not shy, i wil literally hit 3 off the tee box. also been know to pick up the ball and move it from the woods to the middle of the fairway. lucky for me i dont keep score either.
by watching this video I went from a 15 handicap to a 5
If the bunker is filled with water, and your ball is in it, can you get a free drop outside the bunker?
Golfers don't cheat. Groundskeepers cheat. Golfers make corrections.
Honestly if you are good enough for some of these minor things to help your probably good enough to not need them
Clearly phidip.2328 does not understand the philosphy behind golf. The rules are not there to control what you do on the course. The rules are there so you can follow them building a mindset of honesty that can be applied to all or your life. Also the rules teach you that sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and take life as it comes at you.
Who do you play with? This is a honor game, no doxing your opponents!
If I actually saw a guy raking before his shot………..
Lol
calm down tiger, this isn't the PGA. Nobody should be this worried about the rules
It’s only cheating if you keep a handicap or playing for something with your partner
I never knew about these cheats, until now! Wink wink!😜😜
Idc .. til theres a bet. We all watch every shot
"Can't test the conditions of the sand" in the bunker you are in. You can go to a different bunker and hit 20 practice shots if you want. Just not in the bunker you are in.
Let them cheat, I play golf to beat myself from last time....Its not really affecting me, lol. They are cheating themselves not me.
This is almost a "tips" video, but seriously, if you're worried about cheaters, find new golfing friends. Most people play for enjoyment and not prep for the US Open.
I would rather thre bbe more sand behind the ball
So your telling me my mates cheat? 😳
My favorite way to cheat from the bunker is to have another ball in my hand. Then hjt the sand aggressively throwing up a big cloud of sand to hide my tossing the ball in my hand up to the pin.
Here to post this! 😂 Although in this case you can’t do when face is only waist high.
if you throw up enough sand so that your playing partners are ducking for cover.@@greglist2991
You must really play with a bunch s +i+s and possibly you may be one of them since you know about all of these tricks
10:49 that is wrong you can go as far back as you want. BUT you have to stay in bounds. so you can not get around the world but you can go back further than your last shot.
Oh stop it
Its a game
✌️❤️🙏🏻
I think I am starting to see why MSG is always playing by himself…
Seems like you must get beaten alot if you're doing cheating videos, this is like the 3rd or 4th one you've done! Salty much??