Out of Bounds from Bunker

When a player hits a shot from a bunker and the ball goes out of bounds, they are indeed required to play again from where the previous stroke was made, which in this case is the bunker. This is known as stroke-and-distance relief.

Here's the good news: Under Rule 12.2b(3), once your ball has been played out of the bunker and is now outside of it (even if it's out of bounds), the restrictions on touching the sand are lifted even when you are required to make the next stroke from the same bunker. This means you are allowed to smooth the sand in the bunker to care for the course without penalty.

So, yes, you can absolutely rake the bunker before dropping your new ball for the next stroke. The key is that the original ball is no longer in play in the bunker. However, once you drop the new ball and it is in play in the bunker, the usual restrictions on touching the sand (like testing the condition or making practice swings that touch the sand) will apply again.

It's only when a ball is "in play" in the bunker that the strict rules about not touching the sand apply.