Any time the golf ball is hit onto or within one club length of the sand green, you are allowed to use a scraper to prepare the putt. The first thing you need to do is to mark your ball by making a couple of lines with the scraper to mark the position and then you re free to pick the ball up. Now that the golf ball is out of play, you need to prepare the putting surface. The universal rules state that you are allowed a maximum of two scrapes, but in some cases if there are loose impediments, such as twigs, and it remains unfair after your two scrapes, you can have one additional scrape without penalty. The first scrape is normally from the hole back towards where your ball is marked. Simply lay it down flat and scrape in one direction and then the final scrape goes back in the other direction and you must go more than two club lengths past the hole on the other side. In some places you can be penalised if there is a shoulder of sand and your ball hits it and then goes in the hole. The universal rules do not penalise you, however your playing partners can ask you to remove a shoulder if they are concerned about it. The next process is to find your mark that you ve made earlier, put your golf ball back in the same spot, and then you re ready to putt. Throughout Australia, there are around 400 courses that have greens comprised of oiled sand or some other similar material, usually due to the prohibitive cost of maintaining grass gens by small clubs in rural areas. Click Here to visit Golf Australia&aposs Local Rules for Sand Greens page