Bunkers are built to test whether you can play a ball from sand, so the Rules of Golf add a few restrictions that do not apply anywhere else on the course. Most of them are about touching the sand before you hit.
What is not allowed before the stroke
You get a penalty if you deliberately touch the sand with a hand, club, rake or any other object to test its condition and learn something for your shot. You also cannot touch the sand with your club right in front of or behind the ball, in a practice swing, or on the backswing for the shot. A ball counts as being in the bunker when any part of it touches sand inside the edge, or rests inside the edge on ground where sand normally would be.
What is allowed
Plenty of contact with sand is permitted:
- Digging your feet in to set up for a practice swing or the shot itself.
- Smoothing the sand to care for the course.
- Setting down clubs or other equipment, whether you toss them or place them.
- Leaning on a club to rest, balance or avoid a fall.
- Striking the sand in frustration. It is poor etiquette, but it is not a penalty by itself.
The exception is that you may not improve the conditions affecting your shot. The general penalty applies if your actions in the sand cross that line.
After the ball is out
Once your ball is out of the bunker, or you have decided to take relief outside it, the restriction on touching sand ends. You can smooth the sand without penalty, and doing it is part of caring for the course.
Care for the bunker
The general conduct standard asks every player to take good care of the course, and smoothing bunkers after play is listed as one way to do that.
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