So you’ve hit your bunker shot, you’re quite happy with the results, it’s out on the green; you run off grab your putter, and go on and put out for a birdie. But what you forgot to do was probably the most important thing, after you’ve been in the bunker, which is rake the sand. It’s only fair that if you want to arrive in a bunker, and get somewhat of a decent lie, that you leave it in somewhat of a decent lie for the next person. Raking bunkers is not the green keepers’ job; it’s the players’ job to make sure the bunker is right. Yes the green keeper will do the maintenance on it, but it’s your job to make sure it’s right after each and every golf shot you have.

Now, raking the bunker; one of my little pet problem is this; a lot of people just, they hit the ball from the middle of the bunker and the sand goes forward. And then they rake the bunker, and they rake all the sand after them this way, and all the sand comes to the edge of the bunker, and the edge of the bunker, and there’s never any in the middle; which is a shame, because that’s where all of your golf shots you are.

So when you rake in the bunker just try and do your little bit for the golf course maintenance and rake it from the front to the middle and from the back to the middle. Which actually involves pushing the sand after you as you go, so as I walk out of the bunker, I’d be pushing the sand into the center and little bit by little bit, that means there’s more sand in the bunker for everybody else to play from.

Try and rake over your foot prints, and rake over anybody else’s foot prints that you see in the bunker, just because they can’t be bothered to do it just try and help them out rake their foot prints as well. Try and leave the bunker exactly as flat and as smooth as you would like to find it.