When the major 2019 Rules revisions came in, some of the Rules regarding bunkers and penalty areas (formerly ‘water hazards’) were relaxed to varying degrees, but not in precisely the same ways. For example, you may now remove loose impediments from both bunkers and penalty areas - a major change from the pre-2019 Rules - as long as you don’t cause your ball to move in the process. But when it comes to grounding your club, the answer differs between bunkers and penalty areas.
First, what do the Rules mean by “grounding the club”? You need to turn to Rule 8.1b for the answer. This covers actions that are allowed in preparing to make a stroke. Rule 8.1b(4) says you may…
