Rake n' Bunkers

So where do you leave the Rake after raking a bunker, inside or out ? Me I leave it in as I feel there is less chance of advantage, outside it's possible the rake would stop the ball going into the bunker.

I did have this same question when I joined my golf club.

Nearly half of the rakes were on the edge of the bunker, nearly half were in the bunker and the rest of the rakes had there heads in the bunker but the handle sticking out!

Now I always believed that a rake should be left in the bunker, with the handle facing back up the fairway.  The reason for this was that if the rake was left in the bunker then it would not stop your ball rolling into the bunker.  If you hit your approach shot short and it was heading to the bunker, but the rake was left outside the bunker, then there would be a chance that the ball would hit the rake then stay outside the bunker.

When I joined Stapleford Abbotts GC I asked the pro what the rule was.  He told me that there is no rule as such, each club could decide how they wanted the rake leaving.

At my club the decision was that the rake should be left outside the bunker.  The rake should be left with the handle parallel to the fairway and on the very outside of the bunker, not the side nearest the fairway.

I did hear that some clubs in America were using rakes that had a metal point on the handle, and after using the rake you simply stuck it in the ground.  The chances of hitting this would be very small I assume.

Russ

I'm with Kevin on this one Pat.  Had you hit the rake and gone in it would've been classed as rub of the green and this works both ways in my mind. 

I tend to leave the rake with the head in the bunker and the handle out, resting on the edge and in the air.  This reduces the amount of rake that could be hit.  If this isn't possible, I try to leave it along the edge of the bunker, handle pointing towards the tee.    

<p class="MsoNormal">I had a situation once in match play where my opponent&#39;s ball came to rest against a rake in a bunker.&nbsp; Neither of us knew what the rule was so I said I would move the rake that way if his ball moved then he would not get penalised.&nbsp; </p>  <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p>  <p class="MsoNormal">As Kevin pointed out the correct rule, if there is no penalty for moving the rake in the bunker, then I agree with him that is the best place it leave it. </p>

Movable Obstructions (Rule 24-1)
Movable obstructions (i.e. artificial movable objects such as rakes, tin
cans, etc.) located anywhere may be moved without penalty. If the ball
moves as a result, it must be replaced without penalty.
If a ball is on a movable obstruction, the ball may be lifted, the
obstruction removed and the ball dropped, without penalty, on the
spot directly under where the ball lay on the obstruction, except that
on the putting green, the ball is placed on that spot.