Bunkers cost a lot to maintain compared to mowing grass. Smaller Clubs are feeling the pinch financially. If the course architect designed in a bunker many years ago and the Club feels it wants to eliminate a greenside bunker what would be a decent way to maintain a reasonably similar degree of difficulty using turf grass? Assume the original architect is long gone and costs of consultancy unaffordable.

It would be hard to substitute. Maybe getting rid of the sand and growing grass in the bunker is the go as it will provide golfers will a difficult shot to get out (however if you can’t play the flop and the ball is near the old lip, then life becomes hard…).

On any given hole, the easiest way to do it would be to make sure the green is angled to favour an approach from one side of the fairway, as well as having the green slope slightly away from the other side of the fairway.

Eg. If the green favours an approach from the left side of the fairway, then the right side of the green would be slightly higher than the left side. This makes the approach from the right side of the fairway more difficult.

If you are removing bunkers, you can keep the depression there, although you would want to re-contour the area & re-turf the area.

Do not introduce rough where bunkers once were, as it will slow down play & for most golfers, reduce enjoyment. Instead, you should cut the area around the greens as you do your fairways, or even tighter than the fairway. This will penalise in two ways: 1) When the ball misses the green to either side or long, it will end up further away from the green and 2) The shorter grass will give the golfer more options which often leads the amateur to make poor decisions.

On any given hole, the easiest way to do it would be to make sure the green is angled to favour an approach from one side of the fairway, as well as having the green slope slightly away from the other side of the fairway.

Eg. If the green favours an approach from the left side of the fairway, then the right side of the green would be slightly higher than the left side. This makes the approach from the right side of the fairway more difficult.

If you are removing bunkers, you can keep the depression there, although you would want to re-contour the area & re-turf the area.

Do not introduce rough where bunkers once were, as it will slow down play & for most golfers, reduce enjoyment. Instead, you should cut the area around the greens as you do your fairways, or even tighter than the fairway. This will penalise in two ways: 1) When the ball misses the green to either side or long, it will end up further away from the green and 2) The shorter grass will give the golfer more options which often leads the amateur to make poor decisions.

At last, someone with a sound concept of strategic golf course design. It’s all about lines of play to accept an approach shot from the ideal angle yet still allow the less accomplished player (or someone who hit a poor tee shot) the opportunity to still recover if they hit an immaculate shot from the wrong angle. It doesn’t have to be all about penal hazards. Now can someone pass this on to most modern designers like Peter Thompson and the like.

What is your opinion of using grass bunkers. Have played a couple of courses that use these to great effect.

What is your opinion of using grass bunkers. Have played a couple of courses that use these to great effect.

A bad day on the golf course is better than no golf at all. :(

No one who ever had a lesson would have a swing like mine

Lee Trevino

Grass bunkers are a funny one. I’ve played a lot of golf in Scotland, playing most of the great & historic courses, yet, although there are plenty of hollows & dips & dives around the greens on many courses, I am yet to come across a grass bunker similar to what many modern architects build these days. Quite often you see them as near perfect circles (ala Thomson), yet that happens rarely in nature.

The main problem with grass bunkers on heavy soils is drainage, so they would have to be carefully positioned. Don’t forget, the best way to design a course or a hole is to work with the natural topography. If there is some movement in the land, use what is naturally there.

Bunkers are the most highly maintained piece of land on a golf course. Most of this time is spent pushing sand back up walls.
Geofabrics-Golf has a product that has proven it can reduce the amount of labour by 50%. BunkerMat holds sand in its fibres and is couloured to suit sand so the bunkers always look like they have sand on the faces. Australian made and UV stabilised. Sorry bit of an add, but handy to know. The product is now being utilised in high rainfall areas such as Malaysia.

You are correct neilt,

On many courses there are far too many bunkers. The sides of the fairways are riddled with them, and many of the courses would be equally interesting and infinitely more pleasurable if half the bunkers were turfed over and converted into grassy hollows.

Alister

You are correct neilt,

On many courses there are far too many bunkers. The sides of the fairways are riddled with them, and many of the courses would be equally interesting and infinitely more pleasurable if half the bunkers were turfed over and converted into grassy hollows.

Alister

“It by no means follows that what appears to be attractive at first sight will be so permanently. A good golf course grows on one like a good painting, good music, or any other artistic creation.” – me

You mean like all the bunkers at the back of greens at Cypress Point & The Valley Club ?

I was thinking a while ago why do people build bunkers if they have to ship the sand in?

Don’t get me wrong bunkers are a great thing when they are built on a course with a sand base..

Good question CraigaW.
My guess is because it’s traditional to have bunkers and the cost of maintenance and effect on pace of play is not properly figured in for the ‘Owners, Committee” to contemplate at the time the design is approved.
On the other hand bunkering in the sand belt in Victoria is usually excellent and not overdone. Victoria GC is a beautiful example of design but I suspect a few bunkers could be dispensed with.
Neilt, your comment about Geofabric is interesting.
My Club used a fair amount of a “geofabric” in the base of bunkers in a restoration program about 6 years ago. There are problems with the fabric sometimes appearing above the sand. I don’t know whether this is due to too little sand, distortion due to effects of extreme weather, or something else.
What I do know is that it holds back the aggregate underneath it used to promote proper drainage. So we don’t have the problem some do with “stones” in the bunkers.

“Victoria GC is a beautiful example of design but I suspect a few bunkers could be dispensed with.”

Care to identify them ?

I used to be a member at Royal Ashdown in the UK. It has zero bunkers but that is more than made up for by the heather growing all over the place. Get in their and basically it is a wedge out to the fairway every time. In many cases it is far more punishing than a bunker.

http://www.royalashdown.co.uk

“Victoria GC is a beautiful example of design but I suspect a few bunkers could be dispensed with.”

Care to identify them ?

I’ll be able to identify them if I ever play there – they will be the ones that contributed 20 strokes to my scorecard. :)

I used to be a member at Royal Ashdown in the UK. It has zero bunkers but that is more than made up for by the heather growing all over the place. Get in their and basically it is a wedge out to the fairway every time. In many cases it is far more punishing than a bunker.

http://www.royalashdown.co.uk

Both courses at Royal Ashdown Forest are lovely, but I’m sure if the land wasn’t covered by the Royal Forest charter they would have built bunkers long ago, which would have been a shame.

Not only heather, but the use of creeks & small natural depressions gives a perfect example of what an architect could do without using bunkers.

Bunkers actually allow me to go for tight pins cause if I miss, I end up in a bunker and not in some crappy bit of gorse where I’ll spend 5 minutes trying to find my ball and then have no shot. Go the bunker!

PS: I have been taught by a pro the wonderful bunker shot where you close the club face to the point where it almost faces directly in front – gets the ball out softly EVERY time – and amaze everyone who sees it.

Languid
The question of a geotextile lifting in the base of a bunker is usually because the securing method (usually pins) is failing and will need to be addresed. A product that Geofabrics manufactures is designed to hold sand on bunker faces and with littler sand over the mat still gives the impression of a fully sanded bunker face. This results in limited maintenance but will the same visual appeal. It is important to use a mat that is high in UV stabilisation though.