I have to agree with Spieth.. I've been in bunkers before that were not raked very well at all and lord knows what I ended up with... Who knows, maybe pace of play has something to do with it and people do 1/2 a** job raking the trip.. I do wish people would take the time to properly rake the trap AND replace their divots AND repair their ball marks on the green.. Those are just a few things that drives me NUTS!

I play at a private club and most members rake their foot prints after play. With that said there are always a few who do not and another pet peeve is tracking sand onto the green without knocking the sand loose from their shoes. Most members will complain to the head pro and he will post a comment in our monthly magazine that all members have mailed to their homes. If I see someone not raking a bunker in front of me I will make contact with them and ask them to start raking their foot prints. In a rare case a violator of this basic curtesy will be turned into the greens committee who can suspend that player for a time period.

I agree it is one of the most frustrating things to be in the bunker to begin with but then to be in a bunker and have a terrible lie because, 1. someone doesn't know how to properly rake a bunker or 2. they are too lazy to rake after themselves.

This seems like a very common sense solution. I agree completely.

IMHO, if someone lands in a unraked bunker, unfilled divot in the fairway, or ball mark on the green, the ball should be replaced with no penalty to the player. We shouldn't be penalized for lazy idiots.

I didn't used to but the more times it's happening, the more I'm inclined to agree with you.

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At Tijeras Creek gc, the place isn't a top tier club, but it's a good course that I visit once in a while- about a hundred to play there. But I gave up visiting there completely because... (wait for it) "No one rakes bunkers there!!!" I was told by the local in our group after I saw him pick up his ball from the bunker, then raked the sand, placed his ball on it and played it; he said that is what everyone does in most courses in that area. YIKES!!! My brother and I couldn't believe what we just heard, but apparently most the other bunkers that we saw and noticed after that were NOT raked.

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Anyway, raking is simple and can be quick. Bring the rake in the bunker with you and after playing from the bunker, hold the handle of the rake together with the club you just used- use both hands. After leveling the surface, for finishing, push away the sand so not to leave rake marks.

If there are two balls in the bunker (or more- let's hope not), whenever possible, follow the same entry tracks the first player went in so you'll share and rake the same track for less to be raked.

Finally, for right hand oriented folks about foot tracks, please do not drag the rake with your right hand as you walk out of the bunker while you make and leave new foot tracks on the left side of it. :-)

Sandhill cranes and rabbits are notorious for not raking, but only as bad as what I see mostly on public courses. Sometimes they look like a battalion marched through. Poor bunker players probably don't have an issue if the odds are bad they'll hit a decent shot anyway. One of the sad reasons for joining a private club.

Two of the courses I play on a regular basis are horrible in this regard. Late evening is family night (reduced fees) and no one seems to bother raking. Course etiquette ought to be one one of the first things taught)

We play rake and replace. Yeah, know that isnt within the rules, but the traps look like they had tag team wrestling matches in them. It would be punitive not to allow for this adjustment to lie.

He is a Pro that gets paid million to play a game we all love.. Be mature and get over it!

Yeah, this is one of my pet peeves. I always expect the worst whether playing public or private courses.

So far as Spieth goes, I'd bet that over the years he's had more than one bad break and had to adapt. I wonder if caddy's are ever fined for leaving a mess in a bunker, they can have an impact on tournament outcome doing something like that.

My experience has been that the resort and private clubs have the biggest problem when it comes to maintaining the greens and bunkers. I've been a member in both resort and private courses and I've seen the worse of those two types.

I literally watched a guy walk through a bunker to get to his cart last weekend. It was the shortest path and he didn't want to walk around. Just went on about his business and left.

We play under a rule where if you hit into a bunker, you get to rake and place your ball. Its due to inconsiderate players that walk into bunkers, play their ball, then walk out without thinking to even rake their damage. By mid-day, the bunkers look like a herd of elephants walked through. So we play this local rule and everyone gets the equivalent of a perfect lie in the bunkers. It applies to everyone so no one gets an advantage. Equity.

Are bunkers no longer considered a "hazard"? I feel one should be penalized if they hit into a bunker and a bad rake job is a possible, albeit not a truly fair, outcome of a wayward shot.

Our men's league instituted that lift your ball and rake the sand rule. Folks became a little to liberal as most do with local rules, so they eliminated lift, rake and cheat rule. When clubs start making a lot of local rules, it creates a lot of confusion. Playing the rules of golf does not. I know sometimes it seems unfair, but in the long run it protects the field and eliminates who is right and who is wrong. Golf is SUPPOSED to be a gentlemen's game. Simply act like a gentlemen and rake the sand trap. Easy to say. I'm just sayin'. With respect to the game of golf and those who play.

Unraked bunkers and unrepaired ball marks on the green! Two of my biggest gripes. Takes less than a minute to do, yet a lot of golfers don't do either one of these things.