The World's Dumbest Bunker

[iacas]

18 minutes ago, Divot Master said:

 I am aware that the course architect passed away prior to the shaping of the back nine, it is possible that what the guy on the grader did was not quite what the architect had drawn. For the most part, this course was very well designed and constructed.

I agree with that.

I wonder how many shots have ever been played from the back bunker on 14, though…

The one on five makes a little sense: it can stop the ball from going into the penalty area.

[CarlSpackler]

22 hours ago, iacas said:

I can top that one.

The left bunker there is well, well behind the green on the par-3 14th. I've been playing WW for a decade and I'm not sure I even SAW that bunker until earlier this year.

I only played WW the one time 4 (5?) years ago, but I now remember this hole. I am “familiar” with the bunkers on the left of the hole (right in the picture). 😒

[Divot Master]

22 hours ago, CarlSpackler said:

I only played WW the one time 4 (5?) years ago, but I now remember this hole. I am “familiar” with the bunkers on the left of the hole (right in the picture). 😒

First picture WW #14 from the Blue tee, 180 yds, note three traps on the left and one on the right.

Second picture from behind back right corner of the green, note 4 traps on the right, with the closest one being 12 yards behind the green and not visible from any tee.

Also notice 7:30 pm and not a single rake mark or footprint in the trap.

Even curiouser, the trap appears on Google but does not appear in the SkyCaddie hole image.

Like Iacas, I have never been in this trap (and I have been a member here for six years).

[DennisMiller]

On 7/28/2019 at 9:02 PM, iacas said:

I mean… c'mon now. Why does this bunker exist?

Apparently just to make you talk about it. It's nuts, not to mention what it probably costs to maintain.

[imsys0042]

Imagine being the one short hitter who duffs it in there....as you are walking out and looking over the pristine sand you must think "it looks like no one else has been in there in years!"

[RayG]

My guess? That tree wasn't that tall when that hole was created, if there at all. As well as the hole possibly being reconfigured in the past, either with slightly shorter tees, slightly different approach angle, or the fairway was originally cut closer to it. If the club has the original blueprints around you could figure it out pretty easy.

[Double Mocha Man]

Speaking of trees and bunkers.  The par 3 9th on a course I used to play in Hawaii had a thick tree, lots of branches, overhanging the trap to the left of the green.  Oftentimes if you tugged your approach that tree would kick your ball onto the green.  Once, when in the trap, I hit a less-than-stellar sand shot and in disgust tossed my sand wedge straight up over my head.  Well, it stuck in that tree and, as far as I know, it's never come down.  I played another 6 months there and my wedge was still in that tree.  That same damn hole is the site of my only hole-in-one!

[DeadMan]

I've got 2 (slash 3) to nominate. Although they don't have a tree right in front of them, they're pretty dumb. I've played this course over 50 times, and I've never seen anyone in them the entire time. All of these bunkers are well short of the green but not reachable off the tee:

The offending bunker is circled in white. This is on a par 5. It's short of the green and nearly 50 yards left of it. The bunker to the right of it sees shots only rarely, but it does happen. I've never seen someone play from that bunker. Complete waste of sand.

This is a par 4. The offending bunkers are circled in white. The closest bunker to the green is over 30 yards short of the green. It's 300 yards to reach these bunkers from the senior tees; 340 from the back tees. Nobody can get a drive to them, and nobody gets in them with their approach shot. Another waste of sand.

Fortunately, the course actually took out all 3 of these bunkers this past spring. They were really dumb.

[RayG]

Well, lots of architects used Sand in odd places to frame the hole or to deceive the player. I can't remember if it was Ross or Tillinghast who would place bunkers well short of a green (30-50 yds) especially if it was a slightly uphill approach where the surface of the green was hidden.It gave a false impression that the green was just behind those bunkers. The eye would play with the head of the player and maybe force a wrong club choice. But- these days, GPS and range finders just about eliminate the "feel" issue on shots and have taken away some of the soul of these kinds of holes, and I miss that.

Nobody (well almost nobody) complains about those HUGE swaths of 'waste area' on a Pete Dye course(or whoever) that start 10 yards from the tee box and run for 480 yards along one side or the other. I mean, who hits it 10 yards? (Aside from that guy, and him, and those two over there... and her, and them...)