Should golf do away with bunkers?

I’ve come to realize that the biggest discrepancy between the courses the average golfer plays and the courses players on tour & affluent golfers play is the condition of sand traps. It’s almost like two different sports.

• The tough economic downturn in golf has really taken its toll on sand traps. Courses on a tight budget, will let the traps go first. If a trap washes out in a bad storm it sometimes will be left in that condition indefinitely. A good sized sand trap that washes out is around $40K to repair (so I’ve been told).

...or cut down on them, in a huge way, both on exclusive courses and public courses?

As a person who plays in a league that covers three public courses, I’ve come to realize that the biggest discrepancy between the courses the average golfer plays and the courses players on tour & affluent golfers play is the condition of sand traps. It’s almost like two different sports. Fortunately my home course (which is semi- private, and old -hence, not a ton of monstrous traps) has very nice traps. But, my heart goes out to the guys beating it out of those crusty, half-mud, half-sand beasts every day.

My thoughts:

• The tough economic downturn in golf has really taken its toll on sand traps. Courses on a tight budget, will let the traps go first. If a trap washes out in a bad storm it sometimes will be left in that condition indefinitely. A good sized sand trap that washes out is around $40K to repair (so I’ve been told).

•Recently, it seems every golf architect uses sand traps as their medium of expression. Course finances are paying the price for that extravagance. Look at some of the more classic designs from MacKenzie, Ross, etc. They didn’t design courses with the sand traps being the key visual feature.

• The traps on tour are so perfect and the players so well versed in hitting out of them, its become the opposite of its original intention: a punishment for missing the green. When tour players miss the green they are hoping they go into traps.

Let them play some of the public course traps, I’ve seen over the last few years, and the last thing they would hope for is their ball to go into a sand trap.

Just some food for thought from a grouchy sand trap warrior.

Should golf do away with greens?

...or cut down on them, in a huge way, both on exclusive courses and public courses?

As a person who plays in a league that covers three public courses, I’ve come to realize that the biggest discrepancy between the courses the average golfer plays and the courses players on tour & affluent golfers play is the condition of the greens. It’s almost like two different sports. Fortunately my home course (which is semi- private, and old -hence, not a ton of monstrous greens) has very nice greens. But, my heart goes out to the guys beating it out of those unmowed, burnt, quarter-grass, quarter-sand, quarter-sunflower seeds, quarter-anthill disasters every day.

My thoughts:

• The tough economic downturn in golf has really taken its toll on greens. Courses on a tight budget will let the greens go first. If a green is overtaken by fungi or bugs sometimes it will be left in that condition indefinitely. A good sized green is over $40K to replace (so I’ve been told).

•Recently, it seems every golf architect uses greens as their medium of expression. Course finances are paying the price for that extravagance. Look at some of the more classic designs from MacKenzie, Ross, etc. They didn’t design courses with the greens having any visual features.

• The greens on tour are so perfect and the players so well versed in putting on them, its become the opposite of its original intention: a place to three-putt bogey. When tour players miss the greens they don't even give a shit because their putt to save par will actually roll the same ten out of ten times with the same stroke.

.

Let them play some of the public course greens, I’ve seen over the last few years, and the last thing they would hope for is their ball to land on the green without rolling into the hole.

Just some food for thought from the grouchy three-putt-bogey king.

My home course has all the sand traps washed out due to several torrential rains in the last couple of months. the club is almost broke and has no money to repair them. They are all marked now as ground under repair. The truth is it has made little difference. Even without the sand traps the course is plenty difficult and challenging. I still enjoy playing there as much as before.

...or cut down on them, in a huge way, both on exclusive courses and public courses?

As a person who plays in a league that covers three public courses, I’ve come to realize that the biggest discrepancy between the courses the average golfer plays and the courses players on tour & affluent golfers play is the condition of sand traps. It’s almost like two different sports. Fortunately my home course (which is semi- private, and old -hence, not a ton of monstrous traps) has very nice traps. But, my heart goes out to the guys beating it out of those crusty, half-mud, half-sand beasts every day.

My thoughts:

• The tough economic downturn in golf has really taken its toll on sand traps. Courses on a tight budget, will let the traps go first. If a trap washes out in a bad storm it sometimes will be left in that condition indefinitely. A good sized sand trap that washes out is around $40K to repair (so I’ve been told).

•Recently, it seems every golf architect uses sand traps as their medium of expression. Course finances are paying the price for that extravagance. Look at some of the more classic designs from MacKenzie, Ross, etc. They didn’t design courses with the sand traps being the key visual feature.

• The traps on tour are so perfect and the players so well versed in hitting out of them, its become the opposite of its original intention: a punishment for missing the green. When tour players miss the green they are hoping they go into traps.

Let them play some of the public course traps, I’ve seen over the last few years, and the last thing they would hope for is their ball to go into a sand trap.

Just some food for thought from a grouchy sand trap warrior.

Bunkers are hazards, and there is no logical reason why they shouldn't play as such.  I play a course with no bunkers, and in my opinion it lacks an important dimension.  There is literally never a real penalty for playing a poor approach shot.  No fairway bunkers catch even an occasional bad drive.  It makes the course simply less fun to play, less challenging, and as a result I often lose focus when playing there.

I don't think that they need to dominate the landscape, but they are none the less an important feature on any halfway decent course.  The key to playing poorly maintained bunkers, like any bunker, is to practice in them.  I've played  in all sorts of bunkers, from pristine fluffy white sand to half hard pan (or half mud when it rains), and all are what they are intended to be - hazards which can cost a half to a full stroke for the average player.

The nice fluffy sand promotes fried egg and embedded lies, while the hard pan bunker with very little sand often lets the ball run right through, or leaves an easy pick to chip out of.  It all balances out in the end.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Bunkers are hazards, and there is no logical reason why they shouldn't play as such.  I play a course with no bunkers, and in my opinion it lacks an important dimension.  There is literally never a real penalty for playing a poor approach shot.  No fairway bunkers catch even an occasional bad drive.  It makes the course simply less fun to play, less challenging, and as a result I often lose focus when playing there.

I don't think that they need to dominate the landscape, but they are none the less an important feature on any halfway decent course.  The key to playing poorly maintained bunkers, like any bunker, is to practice in them.  I've played  in all sorts of bunkers, from pristine fluffy white sand to half hard pan (or half mud when it rains), and all are what they are intended to be - hazards which can cost a half to a full stroke for the average player.

The nice fluffy sand promotes fried egg and embedded lies, while the hard pan bunker with very little sand often lets the ball run right through, or leaves an easy pick to chip out of.  It all balances out in the end.

What about Riverview? That is arguably the most poorly maintained course I have ever seen, the bunkers are pathetic. Some so nondescript from lack of care you can barely tell they are bunkers. Can't remember if it's hole one or ten but there was a large fairway bunker on the left that hadn't been attended to in years last time I was there.

Anyway I hate public course bunkers. The lies are death and typically unfair. Often a two stroke up tick just getting out greenside. Never know what you will find in there. Ball on the rake maybe. Chunk of earth from the previous dolts path in or out yeah it can happen. Poorly raked and full of pock marks for sure. Inconsistent texture because your $32 green fees don't cover pristine sand year in and out without a doubt.

I play away from bunkers like an idiot on the chance it could mean playing out of it. I know what is in there and it disrupts how the course could play. It's not risk reward but just risk due to the uneven consequences. When I practice in bunkers I rake to the way it should be. Not once have I ever found my ball on that lie in a trampled bunker. Just sayin' most courses in the sub $100 fee range have shit sand.

I think sand traps have their place.

From about 30 yards and in PGA Tour players actually are slightly better at sand shots compared to a shot out of the rough from equal distance.

If I had my choice I think it would be better to minimize fairway bunkers for other forms of hazards and leave bunkers for around the greens. If an amateur gets in a fairway bunker they are pretty much giving up a stroke. They just don't have the contact to deal with the sand. A lie in the rough will actually benefit them more because they can get away with slightly heavy or thin shots out of the rough.

I think sand traps have their place.

From about 30 yards and in PGA Tour players actually are slightly better at sand shots compared to a shot out of the rough from equal distance.

If I had my choice I think it would be better to minimize fairway bunkers for other forms of hazards and leave bunkers for around the greens. If an amateur gets in a fairway bunker they are pretty much giving up a stroke. They just don't have the contact to deal with the sand. A lie in the rough will actually benefit them more because they can get away with slightly heavy or thin shots out of the rough.