Parts of this article (those related to the Rules of Golf, including terminology) need to be updated. The reason given is: the Rules of Golf were substantially changed in January 2019. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2022)
Rules of Golf govern exactly from where the ball may be played outside a hazard. Bunkers (or sand traps) are shallow pits filled with sand and generally incorporating a raised lip or barrier, from which the ball is more difficult to play than from grass.[2]
Bunker
A golfer hitting from a greenside bunker
A bunker is a depression, commonly near the
fairway, that is usually filled with sand. Playing the ball from a bunker is considered more difficult than from closely mown grass, and to do so proficiently requires a high degree of skill. A specialized club called a "sand wedge" is designed for extracting the ball from a bunker. Specific rules of golf
govern play from a bunker. For example, a player may not ground their club in a bunker; that is, the club cannot touch the ground before the swing.
According to the etiquette of the game, the player (or their caddie) is expected to smooth the area of the sand disturbed, normally using a rake, in order that conditions are similar for all subsequent players.
Types of bunkers
There are three types of bunkers used in
green. Waste bunkers are natural sandy areas, usually very large and often found on links courses; they are not considered hazards according to the rules of golf, and so, unlike in fairway or greenside bunkers, golfers are permitted to ground a club lightly in, or remove loose impediments from, the area around the ball.[3]
Water hazards, like bunkers, are natural obstacles designed to add both beauty and difficulty to a golf course. Water hazards are typically either streams or ponds, situated between the teeing ground and the hole.
Types of water hazards
Two types of water hazards exist: "lateral" water hazards (marked with red stakes around the perimeter of the hazard) and water hazards (marked with yellow stakes). Lateral hazards are usually adjacent to the fairway being played (along the side), while water hazards generally cross the fairway being played forcing the player to hit over the water hazard.
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