Rules · Lesson
Unplayable in a Bunker: Four Choices
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Under Rule 19, only you can call your ball unplayable. You can do it anywhere except a penalty area. In a bunker you have four choices. For one stroke, go back to where you last played. Or drop on a line straight back from the hole. Or drop within two club-lengths to the side. Those last two must stay in the bunker. For two strokes total, you can drop outside the bunker, on a line straight back from the hole through the ball's spot.
Step by step
- Decide if it's playable.
- One stroke: go back to your last spot.
- One stroke: back on the line or to the side, in the bunker.
- Two strokes: back on the line outside the bunker.
- Not allowed in a penalty area.
Why it works
Rule 19 puts the decision in your hands alone, so you can weigh the penalty against the shot you face. A ball buried against a lip or under a face may cost more than one stroke to play, so a one-stroke or two-stroke relief can save strokes overall. Each option trades penalty for position, so knowing all four lets you pick the best trade.
Common mistakes
- Dropping outside the bunker for one stroke.Outside the bunker costs two strokes total, so for one stroke you must stay in the bunker or go back to your last spot.
- Dropping on the line but not keeping it straight back from the hole through the ball's spot.Picture the line from the hole through your ball and drop on that line, as far back as you like.
- Measuring the side option wrongly, or letting the drop leave the bunker.Measure two club-lengths from the ball's spot, no nearer the hole, and make sure the ball comes to rest inside the bunker.
How you'll know it's working
- You can name all four options and their penalties without looking at the rule.
- You state your choice and the penalty before you drop.
- Your drop lands on the correct line or inside the two club-length area, and in the bunker when you took one stroke.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practice in the bunker with a ball in an easy lie and walk through each option aloud, naming the penalty for each.
Harder: Place the ball in a awkward lie, such as against the lip, and decide which option saves the most strokes before dropping.
Common questions
Can someone else declare my ball unplayable in a bunker?
No. Under Rule 19, only you decide whether your ball is unplayable, and you can do it anywhere on the course except in a penalty area.
How many penalty strokes do you take for an unplayable ball in a bunker?
You take one stroke if you replay from your last spot or drop in the bunker on the line or to the side. You take two strokes if you drop outside the bunker on the line straight back from the hole.
