Bunker rules, relaxed — but grounding near the ball still costs 2
You can now move loose impediments and touch sand away from the ball in a bunker, but grounding near the ball or testing the sand is still a 2-stroke penalty.
Can you ground your club in a bunker?
No — grounding your club in the sand right behind or in front of the ball is still a 2-stroke penalty. But most other things (moving loose impediments, touching sand away from the ball) are now allowed.
The 2019 rules relaxed bunker play considerably. The old "no touching the sand at all" era is gone. What remains is a focused set of restrictions designed to preserve the challenge of the bunker shot.
Allowed vs not allowed
| Action | Penalty? |
|---|---|
| Move loose impediments (leaves, stones, twigs) | ✅ No penalty |
| Touch sand with hand or club away from the ball | ✅ No penalty |
| Ground club right behind or in front of ball | ❌ 2 penalty strokes |
| Test the sand (e.g., drag feet to feel texture) | ❌ 2 penalty strokes |
| Touch sand during practice swing or backswing | ❌ 2 penalty strokes |
The new unplayable-ball option
Escape for 2 penalty strokes
If your ball is unplayable in a bunker, your standard options apply (stroke and distance, back-on-the-line, lateral — one penalty stroke), plus a new one under Rule 19.3b: drop outside the bunker back on the line from the hole for two penalty strokes. Useful when the bunker is deep or the lie is brutal.
What counts as a bunker?
A bunker is an area of prepared sand — usually a hollow — designed as a hazard. Areas of natural sand (not prepared, like a waste area) are not bunkers and the restrictions don't apply. If there's a rake, it's almost certainly a bunker.
Related rules
Bunker play connects to unplayable lie options and the drop procedure. For every penalty situation on one card, see the free cheat sheet or Save Strokes.
Get Save Strokes → Free cheat sheet