How bad are the bunkers at your course?

[Jeremie Boop]

This is what they look like at the course my league is at...

[isukgolf]

Lol ... That Looks better than some fairways I have been in ... Seems like this time of year the courses I play, (cheap ones) the bunkers are firm, all the way to cement ... I am sure the 110 degree heat helps that ...

[meenman]

Ours are fine - my only complaint is the lack of consistency in the sand - it's been better lately, but in past years - you could go from soft to hard as a rock hole to hole.

[Jeremie Boop]

Most of the other courses I play around here have basically cement bunkers and/or gravel pits. I want to get a good set of wedges but they'd just end up getting trashed around here. I don't end up in bunkers very often though, thankfully. I have some pretty nasty gouges out of the sand wedge I have from the few times I've been in the bunkers though. I'll have to post a picture of it sometime. I only bought it last year about half way through the season too.

[lumpuckeroo]

I'm not sure that can be defined as a bunker, maybe a waste area!  The bunkers on my course are not nearly that bad, and as of late they have gotten better, they actually put sand in them late last year.  And this year, I've seen them out on a regular basis, raking and working the bunkers.  My only issue with the bunkers in my part of the country, they seem to use river sand, when it gets wet, it packs down like cement and is very hard to play from.

[Jeremie Boop]

I'm not sure that can be defined as a bunker, maybe a waste area!  The bunkers on my course are not nearly that bad, and as of late they have gotten better, they actually put sand in them late last year.  And this year, I've seen them out on a regular basis, raking and working the bunkers.  My only issue with the bunkers in my part of the country, they seem to use river sand, when it gets wet, it packs down like cement and is very hard to play from.

Rofl, self contained waste areas surrounding greens. Though you are right, it certainly looks like a waste area. To me, if a course can't be bothered to keep their sand traps at least passable then they should just take them out. There's no excuse for having sand traps so bad they damage people clubs. If I want to save my equipment and play by the rules I'd have to take an unplayable. That's unnecessarily penal considering I'd rather play from the sand if it was actually playable.

[whatwoodtigerdo]

I love the fact there is a rake in that bunker. Maybe they should put a scythe in there.

[CarlSpackler]

Rofl, self contained waste areas surrounding greens. Though you are right, it certainly looks like a waste area. To me, if a course can't be bothered to keep their sand traps at least passable then they should just take them out. There's no excuse for having sand traps so bad they damage people clubs. If I want to save my equipment and play by the rules I'd have to take an unplayable. That's unnecessarily penal considering I'd rather play from the sand if it was actually playable.

Kittyhawk has several bunkers that are filled with stones and pebbles. The sand is really deep and your club just buries in them as if there was no bounce on your club. I'm a fairly decent bunker player, but can hardly get a ball out unless it's close to the edge where there is less sand. I HATE those things. I don't seem to have a problem elsewhere.

As for the pic you posted, that's awful.

[Jeremie Boop]

I love the fact there is a rake in that bunker. Maybe they should put a scythe in there.

I looked at that too, almost commented on it but thought I'd leave it alone until someone else picked up on it. It is pretty comical.

[hilmar2k]

Considering how awful the bunker is, the grass surrounding it isn't nearly as bad looking as I figured it would be.

Aside from that, the bunkers on my home course are generally pretty good.

[saevel25]

The bunkers at the courses I play varies a lot. Earlier in the year they were fluffy as hell, tons of sand, horrible. Now that we had some rain and the sun has baked the sand, they are actually not too bad. Though the problem they have now is, one good rain storm and the bunkers become small ponds. They drainage in them are horrible.

[Jeremie Boop]

Considering how awful the bunker is, the grass surrounding it isn't nearly as bad looking as I figured it would be.

Aside from that, the bunkers on my home course are generally pretty good.

The course has potential if it was kept up. The tees never seem to be rolled because they are nowhere near flat and the grass is always a bit too long on them. The greens right now are slightly slow but at least they are somewhat receptive. Once the summer really comes on you can't land on them at all without running everything straight off the back. They nickname for the course is springrock because it is so freaking hard. To be honest, I'd never play this course voluntarily, I'm only on it for league with my dad. We have 2 other courses here that are much nicer overall, but nobody seems to have good sand traps right now because of all the rain. At least those courses are actually actively trying to improve them by breaking up the sand to make it decent again.

[billchao]

I love the fact there is a rake in that bunker. Maybe they should put a scythe in there.

And a mattock. [quote name="saevel25" url="/t/75053/how-bad-are-the-bunkers-at-your-course#post_1000645"]The bunkers at the courses I play varies a lot. Earlier in the year they were fluffy as hell, tons of sand, horrible. Now that we had some rain and the sun has baked the sand, they are actually not too bad. Though the problem they have now is, one good rain storm and the bunkers become small ponds. They drainage in them are horrible.  [/quote]I thought fluffy sand was ideal? I love fluffy bunkers.

[saevel25]

And a mattock.

I thought fluffy sand was ideal? I love fluffy bunkers.

Well I don't know what it is. Its like 6-8 inches of sand. The only way you can get the ball out is with a very shallow, clipping the ball of the sand. If you try to thump the sand at all, you will end up with the ball back in the bunker, the sand will  just eat your club, and it feels like your trying to shovel through a ton of snow or dirt. Just terrible stuff. I fluffy stuff, but the good bunkers are when it is a thin layer that you can thump pretty good with out worrying about the club digging a grave.

[CarlSpackler]

Well I don't know what it is. Its like 6-8 inches of sand. The only way you can get the ball out is with a very shallow, clipping the ball of the sand. If you try to thump the sand at all, you will end up with the ball back in the bunker, the sand will  just eat your club, and it feels like your trying to shovel through a ton of snow or dirt. Just terrible stuff. I fluffy stuff, but the good bunkers are when it is a thin layer that you can thump pretty good with out worrying about the club digging a grave.

The only way I've been able to get out of those is by playing it like a fried egg and just gouge it out and hope a rock doesn't gouge the face of my SW.

[phan52]

Well I don't know what it is. Its like 6-8 inches of sand. The only way you can get the ball out is with a very shallow, clipping the ball of the sand. If you try to thump the sand at all, you will end up with the ball back in the bunker, the sand will  just eat your club, and it feels like your trying to shovel through a ton of snow or dirt. Just terrible stuff. I fluffy stuff, but the good bunkers are when it is a thin layer that you can thump pretty good with out worrying about the club digging a grave.

We just spent a fortune re-doing all of our bunkers and they are much improved. But they are way too fluffy and soft right now and I am not used to it. It will take time to for them to settle but they eventually will.

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[Dave2512]

I wouldn't play a course with bunkers like the one in the first post. Ours are bad but nothing like that. Visually they look fine unless some dolt didn't rake and it's common to see footprints. It's the consistency that bugs me. One might be perfect and the next hard as concrete. In CO most every course built post Tiger is faux links so sand is everywhere. There are bunkers at our course that are 70-80 yards long.

[Jeremie Boop]

I wouldn't play a course with bunkers like the one in the first post. Ours are bad but nothing like that. Visually they look fine unless some dolt didn't rake and it's common to see footprints. It's the consistency that bugs me. One might be perfect and the next hard as concrete. In CO most every course built post Tiger is faux links so sand is everywhere. There are bunkers at our course that are 70-80 yards long.

If I had my choice *other than not being able to play with my dad* I wouldn't play this course either. It's gotten worse over the years for sure.