In this video, Neil Tappin and Jeremy Ellwood talk you through your options when you are faced with an unplayable lie in a bunker.
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00:00Right, so we have what we're going to call an unplayable lie in the bunker. Truth be
00:08told, Jez, if I was in this situation on the golf course, I'd probably have a go at this.
00:13There's always that element of, I can do this, isn't there? You're generally going to have
00:18a go at it. I'd probably hit it up here and then it'd roll back down again. Probably,
00:21but you'd have a go. But there's going to be situations on the golf course, there might
00:24be some heather in the bunker where you've just plugged underneath the lip of the heather
00:29or something where you really can't get to it. You can't get a stance if the face is
00:32almost vertical. So what are your options? Well, your options, as with any unplayable
00:37lie, you can decide when it's unplayable. It's entirely up to you. You're the sole judge
00:41of when the ball is unplayable and you wish to proceed under the unplayable ball rules.
00:46You have the three options that you normally have. So you go back to where you last played
00:49it from, which on this hole is way up there somewhere. You can drop it within two club
00:54lengths of where it lies, not nearer the hole. Somewhere in the flat down here on this scenario.
00:59And today it might not plug, but typically in a bunker there's a real chance of it plugging.
01:03I think even today, even with the bunker being a bit wet, I think it would plug. It might
01:06well do and you can go back as far as you like on the line, but stay within the bunker.
01:12These are all under penalty of one shot. So those are your traditional options, but from
01:17the new rules onwards you have a fourth option in bunkers now, which allows you to drop back
01:21on the line outside the bunker, but there is an extra shot penalty. So two shots. Quite
01:27a steep penalty that, Jez, but I think I'll probably have to take that. I guess if you're
01:31someone who bunkers really are a problem or you just really couldn't get a stance up there
01:35and you don't want to risk it plugging. I've not seen anyone do it myself yet, but maybe
01:40people have. Let's do it. If you do not have this option, you can come outside the bunker,
01:44back on line as far as you like. Keep in line with the flag. Yep. You can see the plug mark
01:49there. So around about here Jez? Around about there. Knee high and then a nice tight bare
01:55lie to chip over from. In reality here you might have gone back so much further over
02:00there and played a fuller shot, but let's see. But the truth is it's wet underfoot,
02:04it's muddy everywhere, there's some trees behind the camera, so it's a nasty scenario
02:08to be in. I probably wouldn't take this. Are you going to ask me to play this? Let's see
02:11what you've got. Come on. Good luck everyone. Get up the top then, it'll roll down. Good
02:16luck everyone. Oh, well I've duffed it. Might just get far enough to go down the slope.
02:25No, now you've left yourself in three pack country. I definitely would have played it
02:29if it was in the face of the bunker. Hopefully that gives you some idea about your options
02:32if you find yourself in a really tricky spot in the sand.