What Are The Options For An Unplayable Lie In The Bunker?

In this video, Neil Tappin and Jeremy Ellwood talk you through your options when you are faced with an unplayable lie in a bunker.

Transcript

00:00Right, so we have what we're going to call an unplayable lie in the bunker. Truth be

00:08told, Jez, if I was in this situation on the golf course, I'd probably have a go at this.

00:13There's always that element of, I can do this, isn't there? You're generally going to have

00:18a go at it. I'd probably hit it up here and then it'd roll back down again. Probably,

00:21but you'd have a go. But there's going to be situations on the golf course, there might

00:24be some heather in the bunker where you've just plugged underneath the lip of the heather

00:29or something where you really can't get to it. You can't get a stance if the face was

00:32almost vertical. So what are your options? Well, your options, as with any unplayable

00:37lie, you can decide when it's unplayable. It's entirely up to you. You're the sole judge

00:41of when the ball is unplayable and you wish to proceed under the unplayable ball rules.

00:46You have the three options that you normally have. So you go back to where you last played

00:49it from, which on this hole is way up there somewhere. You can drop it within two club

00:54lengths of where it lies, not nearer the hole. Somewhere in the flat down here on this scenario.

00:59And today it might not plug, but typically in a bunker there's a real chance of it plugging.

01:03I think even today, even with the bunker being a bit wet, I think it would plug. It might

01:06well do and you can go back as far as you like on the line, but stay within the bunker.

01:12These are all under penalty of one shot. So those are your traditional options, but from

01:17the new rules onwards you have a fourth option in bunkers now, which allows you to drop back

01:21on the line outside the bunker, but there is an extra shot penalty. So two shots. Quite

01:27a steep penalty that, Jez, but I think I'll probably have to take that. I guess if you're

01:31someone who bunkers really are a problem or you just really couldn't get a stance up there

01:35and you don't want to risk it plugging. I've not seen anyone do it myself yet, but maybe

01:40people have. Let's do it. If you do not have this option, you can come outside the bunker,

01:44back on line as far as you like. Keep in line with the flag. Yep. You can see the plug mark

01:49there. So around about here Jez? Around about there. Knee high and then a nice tight bare

01:55lie to chip over from. In reality here you might have gone back so much further over

02:00there and played a fuller shot, but let's see. But the truth is it's wet underfoot,

02:04it's muddy everywhere, there's some trees behind the camera, so it's a nasty scenario

02:08to be in. I probably wouldn't take this. Are you going to ask me to play this? Let's see

02:11what you've got. Come on. Good luck everyone. Get up the top then, it'll roll down. Good

02:16luck everyone. Oh, well I've duffed it. Might just get far enough to go down the slope.

02:25No, now you've left yourself in three-pack country. I definitely would have played it

02:29if it was in the face of the bunker. Hopefully that gives you some idea about your options

02:32if you find yourself in a really tricky spot in the sand.