Bunker Rules — Playing From Sand and When Not To
What you can and can't touch, and the unplayable option
The short answer: do not ground your club or test the sand in a bunker, but an unplayable lie can be relieved with one penalty stroke.
Your ball is tight against a bunker face. Take one penalty stroke, then choose a two-club-length bunker drop, back-on-the-line relief, or replay the previous shot.
🎮 Practice bunker escapes on Desert CC →The first time I played from a bunker, I got three different pieces of advice from my playing partners: "don't touch the sand," "don't ground the club," and "just take an unplayable." Two of those are the same thing. One isn't quite right. The 2019 rule revision actually made bunker rules simpler — here's what's changed and what hasn't.
What you can and can't do in a bunker
The core rule that hasn't changed: you cannot touch the sand with your club during your address or on a practice swing. Grounding the club in the bunker before your stroke is a two-stroke penalty in stroke play.
What changed in 2019: you can now move loose impediments in a bunker (leaves, stones, twigs) without penalty. You can also touch the sand when retrieving a dropped or fallen club. Previously both of those were penalties. The feel-of-sand test (pressing your club into the sand to gauge texture) is still not allowed before a shot.
Declaring unplayable in a bunker
If your ball is buried or in an impossible position in a bunker, you can declare it unplayable. There are four options in total.
Option 1 (1 penalty stroke): Stroke-and-distance — replay from where you last played. Option 2 (1 penalty stroke): Back-on-the-line inside the bunker — drop on the line from the hole through your ball, inside the bunker, as far back as you like. Option 3 (1 penalty stroke): Lateral drop inside the bunker — within 2 club-lengths of the ball position, staying inside the bunker. Option 4 (2 penalty strokes, added in 2019): Back-on-the-line outside the bunker — drop behind the bunker on that same line, outside the sand.
Options 2 and 3 keep you in the bunker but cost only one stroke. Option 4 guarantees an escape for two strokes. Choose based on what the lie demands.
Casual water in a bunker
If water has collected in a bunker — after heavy rain, for example — you can take free relief from casual water. Find the nearest point of complete relief from the water and drop there. The catch: that nearest point must still be inside the bunker.
If complete relief isn't available inside the bunker, you can take a one-stroke penalty and drop outside — but only on the back-on-the-line (the line from the hole through the ball's original position), not anywhere outside. Most players don't know the free relief option even exists — remember it next time a bunker floods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I ground my club in a bunker?
Generally no. Touching the sand to test its condition or grounding the club before the stroke can incur a penalty.
Can I declare an unplayable lie in a bunker?
Yes. With one penalty stroke, choose among the available options; back-on-the-line relief must remain in the bunker.
Related terms
💡 Key Takeaway
Grounding your club in the sand at address or on a practice swing = two-stroke penalty. The rule hasn't changed.
Not sure about a golf term? Check the glossary.
→ Golf Glossary