They’re a terrible sight on a golf course. I’m talking about bunkers that are completely flooded. For a start, you can easily come a cropper in them if your committee aren’t on the ball and using a Local Rule.
But, even if they are, the World Handicap System adds another layer of complexity. In these days where there is no defined ‘off-season’, clubs are encouraged to make scores acceptable whenever possible.
So can a round still count for handicap if a bunker is flooded? What if it’s not just one? What if there are water-filled bunkers all over the course?
This is a question that can be partly answered in the Rules of Golf and partly in the Rules of Handicapping.
Can my round count if the bunkers are flooded?
The quickest answer is ‘yes’. Scores can still be acceptable for handicap purposes if there are bunkers that are flooded on the course.
Firstly, Model Local Rule F-16 can give players relief from a bunker filled with temporary water. In this case, it is not treated as a bunker at all during the round but as ground under repair in the general area.
That allows players to find the nearest point of complete relief, outside the bunker, in the general area and then drop in a one-club relief area.
All well and good for one bunker, but what if there are many? The Local Rule says committees should use their powers for “specifically identified bunkers”. It doesn’t authorise them to bring in a Local Rule that says all bunkers filled with temporary water are GUR.
That’s a pain for committee members, as it means they pretty much need to get on their feet and walk the course to see which bunkers would meet the need for the Local Rule.
But there are things that can be done. England Golf’s adverse/extreme weather guide reveals in situations where multiple bunkers are flooded and need to be classed as GUR, it is acceptable to define them “along the lines of ‘all greenside bunkers on Hole 4’ (or ‘all bunkers on Hole 4’)” and not have to stick signs all over the place.
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It also adds that “the Local Rule could read ‘any bunker identified by (for example) a blue stake’” as being GUR.
So getting back to the central question: Can rounds still count for handicap if the Local Rule is in place and is there a limit on how many flooded bunkers?
The England Golf guidance is clear. “There is no limit on the number of bunkers that can be treated as ground under repair for scores to be acceptable for Handicap Index purposes”.
Main image: A flooded bunker during the Lombard Challenge Regional Qualifier at Cumberwell Park | Source: Getty Images
Now have your say
What do you think? Should rounds count for handicap when lots of bunkers on the course are flooded – even if a Local Rule is in place? Or is it good that the Rules of Golf and World Handicap System cater for abnormal weather? Let us know in the comments below or get in touch on X.
