Good question, turns out we were mixing up two different rules that both changed in 2019. The one that actually loosened up was for penalty areas (what used to be called water hazards). You can now ground your club in there and even take a practice swing no penalty. Bunkers are still the same old story though. You still can’t ground your club there. The 2019 update did let you touch/move loose impediments (rocks, leaves, etc.) and generally touch the sand with your hand or club, but you still can’t touch the sand on your practice swing, backswing, or right in front of/behind the ball before your shot.