Bunkers _ Remove the sand

[Slab]

Assuming we're not talking about links courses

Lots complain about the state of their bunkers whether it's not being raked, footprints, stones, poor quality sand, not enough sand, compacted sand etc etc

Would you be happy if your club emptied them all and grassed them? (so leaving all bunkers in place as structures but they all revert to being grass bunkers with grass length similar to first cut)

So happy or not?

& what impact would it have on:

Playability of the course
Pace
Enjoyment of the round
Scoring

 

[garyinderry]

It would look awful.
It would make my recent practice in a bunker pointless.

I would not be in favour.

 

[jamielaing]

Makes the course too easy in my opinion. I am useless out of bunkers and have worked hard to get myself to the point I am now where I can get it out and on the green. If I am within 15 feet I am ecstatic. Because of this there are a number of holes where I don't go for the green when I could because the risk of a bunker shot is too great (short par 4s off the tee or par 5s in 2).

If the bunkers go then I can go for all of these with no risk. Regardless of how poor or unraked etc (which is annoying) if I put it there I should be penalised. I would rather the bunkers were in a good condition but removing them just gives me an easy chip on and single putt, at worst two putts.

 

[Slab]

Makes the course too easy in my opinion. I am useless out of bunkers and have worked hard to get myself to the point I am now where I can get it out and on the green. If I am within 15 feet I am ecstatic. Because of this there are a number of holes where I don't go for the green when I could because the risk of a bunker shot is too great (short par 4s off the tee or par 5s in 2).

If the bunkers go then I can go for all of these with no risk. Regardless of how poor or unraked etc (which is annoying) if I put it there I should be penalised. I would rather the bunkers were in a good condition but removing them just gives me an easy chip on and single putt, at worst two putts.

Not sure I got my point across, the bunker hasn't been removed, only the sand, you're still 6 feet deep in a hole, only with first cut rough grass as the ground cover so not sure I see this 'easy chip' you mention

 

[jamielaing]

Not sure I got my point across, the bunker hasn't been removed, only the sand, you're still 6 feet deep in a hole, only with first cut rough grass as the ground cover so not sure I see this 'easy chip' you mention

Maybe not a simple chip but I would say that it would be a fairly easy open wedge out. I could only see this working if it was very thick and long enough to impede the shot so it is still in some way a hazard. If not it is a course of unprotected greens.

 

[Thexindi]

Assuming we're not talking about links courses

Lots complain about the state of their bunkers whether it's not being raked, footprints, stones, poor quality sand, not enough sand, compacted sand etc etc

Would you be happy if your club emptied them all and grassed them? (so leaving all bunkers in place as structures but they all revert to being grass bunkers with grass length similar to first cut)

So happy or not?

& what impact would it have on:

Playability of the course
Pace
Enjoyment of the round
Scoring

A idea I think would be widely not liked,

 

[Deleted member 18121]

From a greenside bunker with sand in I'd put money on myself putting it to a decent length to the pin.....if that sand was replaced with grass but still had the "characteristics" of a bunker (ie big face) I wouldn't be so successful.

Fairway bunkers on the other hand....give me grass all day long.

 

[Slab]

Maybe not a simple chip but I would say that it would be a fairly easy open wedge out. I could only see this working if it was very thick and long enough to impede the shot so it is still in some way a hazard. If not it is a course of unprotected greens.

Ok for the sake of the discussion the grass is 2-4 inches deep (first cut rough) so yes it will impede your shot, the size, shape, depth and banks of the bunker are all as they would be when it had sand in it, so definitely hazardous in its nature

 

[Region3]

Unless there's hardly any shape to the 'bunker', how are you going to mow it?

Some places can't even get slightly undulating fairways cut level.

 

[Slab]

Unless there's hardly any shape to the 'bunker', how are you going to mow it?

Some places can't even get slightly undulating fairways cut level.

Just assume this isn't a problem

I've seen enough restricted banks, slopes, gully's etc & grass bunkers on courses to know the GK's have this covered (to the length of first cut at least)

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Within a very short time these areas would be a mass of divot holes. Good luck playing out of them! In those circumstances I'd rather have sand every time.

 

[pendodave]

We have some of these 'grass bunkers' at our place (3 actually).

I couldn't be less of a fan.

The grass in them is US open style 4 inch fertilised. When the ball sits in them it can be hard to see it. There is no skill or finesse about playing out - just take a big chop and hope for the best. No prospect of controlling the golf ball. I think it brings everyone down to to the same (low) level.

The real bunkers in our course are well kept, but even if they weren't, they would be more playable than these.

If they have to be 'non-sand', I would prefer them to be mowed tight so that good golfers could be imaginative and skillfull, perhaps a collar of light rough around the edge to make putting out hard to predict in order to give a benefit to someone with the skill to play a good pitch.

Serendipity, seeing this topic - I was just contemplating a letter to the greens committee !

 

[Foxholer]

Unless there's hardly any shape to the 'bunker', how are you going to mow it?

Some places can't even get slightly undulating fairways cut level.

Ever heard of a strimmer?

Grass bunkers are normally significantly longer than 1st cut - so more like 4-6" or even longer.

I've played on a couple of courses with restrictions, so grass bunkers only. They are definitely things to stay out of as there's even less control than in sand ones!

 

[Break90]

I rate myself as a fairly decent bunker player, so it would be no from me. Even the first cut at our place can be pretty penal at times.

 

[garyinderry]

The divot problem would be immense.

Then having to collect all the stuff you chopped out off the green would be time consuming.

I am not against the idea of grass bunkers on fairways and maybe the odd one by a green but not all of them.

 

[JustOne]

Would like to have it that NO bunkers are ever raked.

 

[Paul77]

I was telling a mate of mine about two bunkers at the front of a high green on the 18th a few weeks ago at Dalmuir. Almost every person ends up in them due to the green sloping back into them. We turned the dogleg and they filled them in. I looked like a right wanger. He just laughed. I was really disappointed.

 

[Svenska]

All I ask for is sand to be in the bunkers in relative equal measure. At my club there are certain bunkers where there's hardly any sand in them and even though i've played the course for 18 years it's still the same. Numerous complaints, numerous fob offs and i'm still no better at getting the ball out of these particular bunkers. Thin them usually, so do a lot of players at the club, so at least it's a level playing field I suppose.

How hard can it be to whack some more sand in a few of them? Bizarre.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

My previous course had poor bunkers where the sand was usually quite packed. It was a skill, somewhat bizarrely that I had, to nip it off the surface. Just as much a skill as when the sand is how it should be.

As pendodave has mentioned thick grass just causes a hack out, limited skill involved. I can also see the game being slowed down as you look for your ball in this thicker grass. At least with sand, no matter its state, you see your ball in it straight away.

From a visual point of view, see Bobmacs picture of Loch Lomond on the Links, purest form of golf thread, sandy bunkers add to the spectacle of the course. Grass and more grass would be dull.

Always interesting to read new suggestions but this one gets a no from me.

 

[duncan mackie]

All I ask for is sand to be in the bunkers in relative equal measure. At my club there are certain bunkers where there's hardly any sand in them and even though i've played the course for 18 years it's still the same. Numerous complaints, numerous fob offs and i'm still no better at getting the ball out of these particular bunkers. Thin them usually, so do a lot of players at the club, so at least it's a level playing field I suppose.

How hard can it be to whack some more sand in a few of them? Bizarre.

Frequently the reason for the loss of sand from some more than others is the wind pattern - if you have irrigation then it's the combination of wind sun rain and irrigation patterns where those that get hit by the irrigation stay damp underneath and the wind doesn't just blow he whole lot away (top dressing the green and surroundings as it goes) from those.

The very nature and design of green side bunkers will result in a huge variation in the way any particular wind impacts them.