By Scott Wagstaff (GA National Referee & General Manager, Carbrook Golf Club, QLD) Flooded bunkers are a common problem in the wet months. In Queensland, especially in 2013 this has been an issue we have dealt with on almost a daily basis and it has been challenging. However it is good to have a clear plan and policy at your club so that everyone understands what you will do when you have had some rain over night, or prior to the competition round so that you can act quickly and ensure that you are acting within the Rules and you don t affect your course rating. There have been some changes in the guidelines set down by Golf Australia in recent years and so it is timely that we revisit this issue. There are a couple of issues, firstly ensuring an appropriate temporary local rule is in place and secondly understanding the impact (if any) on your course rating. Local Rule Setting the local rule is important and you will need to be clear in how you define the affected bunkers. At our club we use a stake to define the affected bunkers and then add a temporary Local Rule stating staked bunkers are deemed to be GUR and through the green . The ball may be dropped without penalty at the nearest point of relief outside the bunker in accordance with the standard GUR relief procedure . Alternatively the Committee may wish to list the specific bunkers on the Local Rules board. I find most people don t take too much notice of the board and that a stake is a better and more reliable indicator. There are a few things however to remember when introducing your local rule: You cannot invoke or revoke the temporary Local Rule after a competition round has commenced, although you can do so from round to round in a multi-round event. A club cannot have a permanent Local Rule giving relief from flooded or damaged bunkers. In the case that the Committee decides that a bunker is flooded or damaged to the point that it will need renovation to become playable again then the following applies: It may be delcared to be GUR and doing so it automatically changes its status to through the green . In the case that a bunker is only subject to flooding and does not require renovation to become playable again then: It cannot be declared GUR and through the green . However an exception applies if the course has 15 bunkers or less. Therefore you should know how many bunkers you have on your course. A Specimen Local Rule to be used when Renovation of Bunkers is NOT required is provided by Golf Australia as above and it is good practice to use it. One suggestion if you are in charge of educating staff, committee and golfers on this rule is to publish your own policy and take the staff involved in this area (eg. Greens staff and Pro Shop staff) through the policy. You may also spend some time on course with them so they understand what a flooded bunker is and when it should be deemed GUR . In my opinion people are usually too quick to pull bunkers out of play and if the player can take a drop at the rear of the bunker then I will always keep the bunker in play. Mind you there is always the pending weather to consider and whether the flooding will worsen. Remember that Rule 25-1b (ii) deals with this issue and in the absence of a local rule the player can still proceed under any circumstance regardless of the impact of flooding. Impact on Course Rating When clubs have bunkers filled with water or otherwise out of play, they should continue to process competitions through GOLF Link. The following table provides advice on when a club needs to contact its State/Territory Association, and when its course ratings may be affected.
Author: Golf Australia