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I tested the sand in the bunker before making my stroke. Is there a penalty?

{"status":"advice","headline":"PENALTY: 2 STROKES","action":"If you deliberately tested the condition of the sand in the bunker before making your stroke, add the general penalty. In stroke play, that is 2 penalty strokes; in match play, it is loss of hole.","rule":"Rule 12.2b","rule_code":"Rule 12.2b","rule_title":"Restrictions on Touching Sand in Bunker","rule_summary":"Under the Rules of Golf by the R&A and USGA, a player must not deliberately touch sand in a bunker to test its condition before making a stroke. Doing so gets the general penalty.","penalty_strokes":2,"situation":"Your ball was in a bunker and you tested the sand before making your stroke.","options":[],"suggestion":"If the contact with sand was accidental or happened for an allowed reason, the answer could be different.","procedure":"Continue play with the same ball and include the penalty in your score for the hole.","branches":[],"clarifying_question":null,"answer_options":[],"clarifying_questions":[],"disclaimer":"Grounded in the Rules of Golf – the final ruling always belongs to the people on the course: your group, a referee, or the Committee.","rules_basis":"R_AND_A_USGA"}

I tested the sand in the bunker before making my stroke. Is there a penalty?

I tested the sand in the bunker before making my stroke. Is there a penalty?

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