Steve Shepard
Raking the sand bunkers has always been the least enjoyable job for golfers, except maybe making that triple bogey. When you have the misfortune of hitting into the bunkers it gets really ugly when you find your ball in a footprint, unraked depression, or other poorly raked spot. Good golf etiquette says to leave the bunker the way you would like to find it if your ball was in the bunker. The new sand bunkers here at Robson Ranch have a couple of requirements in addition to “just pushing the rake around.” Our bunkers are under warranty for 10 years provided that we follow a few simple procedures to maintain a minimum of four inches over the gravel drain.
First, when stepping into the bunker the sand tends to push toward the lower part of the bunker. That means that you should rake the sand toward the upper edge to maintain the four inch requirement. Second, try to rake the sand evenly along the bottom portion of the bunker keeping to its contour. If you see footprints that have not been raked, do your fellow golfers a favor and rake them too. Finally, lay the rake along the inside edge of the bunker with the handle pointed toward the tee box. Again, if you see rakes that are lying on the ground around a bunker, place them into the sand as indicated.
Properly maintaining our sand bunkers will give all golfers a less stressful and more productive round and keep the bunkers in good condition for many years.