Gravel traps!?

[stealthhwk]

Im sorry, I feel so dumb I didnt take pics but what the hosel man? My home course had filled every sand trap on the course with gravel?! Ive never seen or heard of such madness? Have any of u ever seen or heard of this?

[bkuehn1952]

If every bunker is filled with gravel, clearly some sort of project has begun.  Did you mention it to anyone in the clubhouse?  Could they be filling in the bunkers (i.e. converting them from sand to grass)?

[billchao]

9 minutes ago, stealthhwk said:

Im sorry, I feel so dumb I didnt take pics but what the hosel man? My home course had filled every sand trap on the course with gravel?! Ive never seen or heard of such madness? Have any of u ever seen or heard of this?

They're under repair. Take free relief.

[stealthhwk]

3 minutes ago, bkuehn1952 said:

If every bunker is filled with gravel, clearly some sort of project has begun.  Did you mention it to anyone in the clubhouse?  Could they be filling in the bunkers (i.e. converting them from sand to grass)?

They were stacked ten deep in the clubhouse after my round and I had to go get the little boy so no there. And it doesnt appear to be a filling in as it was every single trap on the course and there were no tractors or equipment around to suggest work in progress. Unless maybe they plan on pouring fresh sand on top of the gravel but using gravel as a base seems dangerous at best!!!

4 minutes ago, billchao said:

They're under repair. Take free relief.

If I take free relief in each of those instances thats three penalty strokes for unplayable lies that come off my card. If I do that my 92 turns into a 89! Surely I dont get to do that. Right?

[bkuehn1952]

6 minutes ago, stealthhwk said:

If I take free relief in each of those instances thats three penalty strokes for unplayable lies that come off my card. If I do that my 92 turns into a 89! Surely I don't get to do that. Right?

Absolutely you get to do that.  A bunker under repair should be taken out of play and treated as GUR.  If all the bunkers are under repair, then they all should be out of play and designated GUR.  I would hesitate to play any rounds for handicap reporting purposes while this project is on going unless the course gets a temporary re-rating.

[stealthhwk]

After removing my dunce cap, I used my cellular phone to call the clubhouse and inquire about the gravel traps. It is ground under repair as theyre halfway done. They have cemented the gravel to use as a base under the sand that arrives next week. He explained that after two of the wettest springs on record destroying their traps two years in a row, theyd learned their lesson. He assures me once the sand is poured it will be playable and very safe. So it goes gravel, then some kind of permanent tarp lining, then they poor sand and voila! That course will have real sand traps instead of the obliterated mud ball traps all other courses have after the monsoons of the last two years. Mystery solved, but man...that was a trip!

[billchao]

11 minutes ago, stealthhwk said:

If I take free relief in each of those instances thats three penalty strokes for unplayable lies that come off my card. If I do that my 92 turns into a 89! Surely I dont get to do that. Right?

If you took free relief at the time, then yes. Now that you've signed your card and your score has been submitted? Not so much.

2 minutes ago, bkuehn1952 said:

I would hesitate to play any rounds for handicap reporting purposes while this project is on going unless the course gets a temporary re-rating.

I agree with this. Last year my "home" course went through a significant bunker project which involved rebuilid every bunker and the surrounding grass areas. Oh and they rebuilt half a hole, too, making the hardest par 5 on the course into a temporary par 3.

I had the misfortune of landing a ball just off the back of the green on one of these GUR areas, which was basically a dirt hill. Ball kicked 40 yards farther past the green. Definitely not golf the way the course is intended to be played.

[stealthhwk]

9 minutes ago, billchao said:

If you took free relief at the time, then yes. Now that you've signed your card and your score has been submitted? Not so much.

I agree with this. Last year my "home" course went through a significant bunker project which involved rebuilid every bunker and the surrounding grass areas. Oh and they rebuilt half a hole, too, making the hardest par 5 on the course into a temporary par 3.

I had the misfortune of landing a ball just off the back of the green on one of these GUR areas, which was basically a dirt hill. Ball kicked 40 yards farther past the green. Definitely not golf the way the course is intended to be played.

This is becoming increasingly frustrating. My ball striking has improved a little more and Ive really been hitting the driver well last couple of outtings. And as Lsw has taught us, the closer u are to the hole the lower ur score. Hitting driver poorly was missing fairway and only hitting it 165. Now Im hitting it much better and its staying in the fairway and going 215-225. Im hitting scoring clubs into greens instead of my hybrid for gosh sakes! And I will get no rewards for all of my effort. 88 three weeks ago was the front nine twice cus the back was closed. So it wasnt legit. Returned to home course this week and encounter gravel traps (gur) and didnt know I was due relief. So that round isnt legit either. Two recent rounds in the 80s and dont get to count either. Wouldnt mind normally but with me playing so much better, I feel these rounds should be legit. Why the hell do I play this game again?

[billchao]

1 hour ago, stealthhwk said:

This is becoming increasingly frustrating. My ball striking has improved a little more and Ive really been hitting the driver well last couple of outtings. And as Lsw has taught us, the closer u are to the hole the lower ur score. Hitting driver poorly was missing fairway and only hitting it 165. Now Im hitting it much better and its staying in the fairway and going 215-225. Im hitting scoring clubs into greens instead of my hybrid for gosh sakes! And I will get no rewards for all of my effort. 88 three weeks ago was the front nine twice cus the back was closed. So it wasnt legit. Returned to home course this week and encounter gravel traps (gur) and didnt know I was due relief. So that round isnt legit either. Two recent rounds in the 80s and dont get to count either. Wouldnt mind normally but with me playing so much better, I feel these rounds should be legit. Why the hell do I play this game again?

All I can say is stick with it, find enjoyment out of the fact that you are both hitting the ball and playing better, etc., even though you can't really post the rounds. Gain confidence from knowing that you are capable of shooting lower scores as you improve and they will come.

[stealthhwk]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

All I can say is stick with it, find enjoyment out of the fact that you are both hitting the ball and playing better, etc., even though you can't really post the rounds. Gain confidence from knowing that you are capable of shooting lower scores as you improve and they will come.

Thanks...I really needed that today.

[iacas]

7 hours ago, stealthhwk said:

If I take free relief in each of those instances thats three penalty strokes for unplayable lies that come off my card. If I do that my 92 turns into a 89! Surely I dont get to do that. Right?

FWIW, you don't get to drop outside of a bunker when taking an unplayable lie in a (non-GUR) bunker.

You must still drop in the bunker.

[Dave2512]

Sounds.unusual especially if varied from previous texture. Pic would have been nice.