Show me someone who says they haven’t done this and I’ll show you a liar. It’s a fate – knowingly or otherwise – surely every golfer has suffered at some point.
You’ve hit one into a bunker, you’ve got over the horror, and you’re trying to get it out in as few shots as possible.
Then as you’re pulling back to hit, you see it – out of the corner of your eye a few grains of sand have shifted as the club makes its way to the top of the backswing.
Uh-oh. So let’s consider this question I received on email:
“If a player touches the sand on their backswing in a bunker, does the shot need to be replayed, or is it just a one stroke penalty added to the score for that hole?”
So what is it? Keep calm and carry on? Get ready to go again? If it’s a penalty, what is the sanction? If you’ve ever worried about this one while out on the course, here is the answer you’ve been looking for…
Touching sand on backswing in a bunker: What happens now?
You’ve got that sinking feeling, haven’t you? We often talk about player integrity in golf and this is one of those situations for which the saying was made.
Unless you’ve got someone watching over your shoulder, you are often going to be the only person to know this has happened. What to do?
For a start, you don’t need to replay your shot and, for those carrying on that thought, you would only need to replace your ball if you caused it to move.
But there are restrictions on when you can touch the sand and they’re outlined in Rule 12.2b.
These have been relaxed a little bit since the 2019 Rules update. For example, you’re not penalised if you reach out for the sand while comically falling over.
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As long as you’re not doing it to deliberately test the condition of the sand or are improving conditions affecting the stroke, you can lean on a club to rest, or to stay balanced. You can even chuck a club into the trap – though if it lands in the area right in front or behind your ball you’re going to be in trouble.
Touching sand in the bunker with a club when making a backswing for a stroke? That isn’t allowed – along with doing it if you make a practice swing, or if you’re doing something to try and get information for your next stroke.
The penalty often provokes a bit of debate because it’s pretty severe. It’s not a one-stroke penalty. Touching sand in a bunker on your backswing is two in stroke play and it’s loss of hole in match play. That’s because the sanction for a breach is the general penalty.
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. Get in touch with your questions by emailing me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com
What do you think about these touching sand on backswing in a bunker rules? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
