I was just scooching around the internet on a holiday-weekend morning, and I saw that a club I belong to is officially listed at one prominent golf course site as having 61-70 bunkers. Which made me chuckle, because I've visited them all, I'm sure, but I never thought to count them, either. I can just see the caddies or a junior pro in the pro shop debating how many they had and saying, "61-70," to the person asking the question. What I really suspect is someone filled out a profile and marked the "61-70" box for that question.
So I went out to count them today.
Pretty dang accurate description, depending on how you count them...
Because...I then fluttered online to a pretty good course my family built. They had "71-80." on the website. But I
know
the exact number and it's less. So I had to walk that and count.
They counted all the "grass bunkers" on the list. Which isn't a bad idea. I watched the course get designed, built and produce a USGA champion, and I know that those "bunkers" with the really long grass are meant to penalize you just as much as the sand.
So that's why I ask, what's a bunker?
I think I've decided it's any deep impression on the course's regular lines of play that tries to penalize you for being there. I'm sure there's a more technical definition, but that's just what I came away with after thinking about, and walking, both courses today.
cy
p.s. And it was really cool because I shot below net-par on both courses. I've never pulled that double before. I usually just get too tired out on the course I played second. Or I just plain sucked for several holes on one of the two, over 36 holes in a day. Nothing like a Monday holiday and playing some decent golf in great weather.