A collapsible rake designed by a Wolverhampton man that attempts to solve an age old golfing conundrum is arriving at clubs around the country.

Keen golfer Bill Brisco made the lightweight golfing accessory – called a Bunkermate – as a way of tackling the problem of players not raking bunkers during rounds.

He launched the rake more than a year ago and has been contacted by a host of clubs across the country.

He said one is even looking into the possibility of ruling that all its members must carry a Bunkermate.

Mr Brisco said not all sand traps have their own rakes and he had spotted a gap in the market.

The collapsible rake can be carried in a golfer’s bag and used whenever the player finds himself in the sand.

Mr Brisco, aged 53, said: “It is rare to find a golf course these days where a rake has been provided for every bunker, many of them having to share the rake from a neighbouring bunker, or even worse the rakes provided are broken or missing altogether.”

In a survey commissioned by Mr Brisco’s Wednesfield-based company Albil Engineering, all golfers said players who find themselves in bunkers should rake over the sand once they are back on course.

But 88 per cent of golfers questioned said it was no longer done by the majority of other players and that they often ended up playing out of rutted sand.

More than eight out of 10 golfers said it should be the players’ own responsibility to carry a rake and ensure the bunker is left as they found it.

Mr Brisco has worked in engineering for the last 35 years but the Bunkermate is his first product for the sporting accessories market. For more information contact 01902 732435.