Is there a penalty for an air shot in a bunker?
Whiffed one in the sand? Our rules experts Steve Carroll explains whether additional sanctions are coming your way
The pros make them look easy. But for the rest of us? There is little in the game that sends us more into a tailspin than our ball finding is way into a bunker.
But Gary Nott’s email explains that things can always get a little worse. “What is the penalty, if any, for taking an air shot in a bunker, when you miss the ball and disturb the sand instead? Your help would be much appreciated.”
I’m here for you Gary, and the answer is coming right up…
Touching sand in a bunker
There are a whole host of things you’ve got to watch out for when in a bunker. As Rule 12 explains, you can’t deliberately touch the sand with a hand, rake, club, or another object to test its condition and learn information for the next stroke.
You can’t touch it with a club right in front, or behind, your ball, in making a practice swing, or in making a backswing for a stroke.
But none of these restrictions apply to the situation Gary has outlined. The player here has tried to make a stroke and missed.
It still counts as a stroke – defined as the forward movement of the club made to strike the ball – so if they went in for two, they’ve now taken three, but the general penalty (two strokes or loss of hole in match play) that applies to a breach of Rule 12.2b won’t be tacked on as well.
Now you might ask, can you rake that area where you’ve been tramping around?
Rule 12.2b (2) does allow you to smooth the bunker to care for the course, but if touching the sand improves the conditions affecting the stroke – so that’s the lie of your ball at rest, the area of intended stance, area of intended swing, line of play and relief area if you’re taking a drop – then you will get the general penalty for a breach of Rule 8.1a.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.
Have you had this experience or come a cropper touching sand in a bunker? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
