Bunkers on a park course?

[Laka]

Regarding the thread about bunkers and amount of sand. There is opinions and frustration about the amount of sand in bunkers! I also know about the pain it can cause when spoiling otherwise a good round.

I have thinking many times about sand bunkers on park courses.......Is sand an natural element on such courses? Should any unnatural element be allowed on the course? Why is it less sand in bunkers on t.ex park courses... its not an natural element there and if human being not fill when its needed,, it will disappear,, thats natural!

The question is --- should an course contain unnatural elements?

 

[Colin L]

Laka, sand is historically a completely natural element on a golf course. The game developed on "links", that is the ground next to the sea where the soil is sandy and where there are many areas of exposed sand amongst the dunes. The idea of a man-made "bunker" is, I think, to preserve the old challenge in golf of playing from a sandy area. So even if sand is not normally found on a parkland course, we have bunkers because sand has been a natural feature of playing golf for centuries.

We have, in Scotland at least, seaside courses which have both prepared bunkers and natural areas of exposed sand. You might even find on some courses that the beach is in play. Golf can be very challenging!

 

[MashieNiblick]

As Colin says when parkland courses developed they included bunkers as these were regarded as traditional features of a golf course.

As I understand it when golf was played over the natural links land the bunkers were simply the hollows made by the sheep to shelter from the wind. Hence the small deep "pot" bunkers traditional on links courses.

As golf spread from the links many inland courses were built on sandy heathlands as this was closest to links terrain. Here too sandy hollows would have been a natural feature.

There was a thread a little while ago about courses without bunkers and I was surprised at how many there are.

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?62113-Bunkerless-golf-courses&highlight=bunker

 

[Laka]

I know its an historical angle on this with sand bunkers on a golf course and can understand that. But wasnt the intention from the beginning that a course should use the natural elements on the soil where its constructed/build. Isnt that a fundamental thought?

So why arent t.ex park courses hazards built with the natural elements on that park course soil? Wouldnt such course be easier to maintainced and wouldnt golf courses benefit from being natural built? What do you think?

 

[Slab]

I was going to mention all the things that aren't natural that are included besides bunkers but it seemed a bit pedantic, instead I'd ask what would you replace them with if a parkland course didn't have bunkers? (assuming they'd be replaced by something acting for similar reasons to the purpose of a bunker)

 

[MashieNiblick]

I know its an historical angle on this with sand bunkers on a golf course and can understand that. But wasnt the intention from the beginning that a course should use the natural elements on the soil where its constructed/build. Isnt that a fundamental thought?

So why arent t.ex park courses hazards built with the natural elements on that park course soil? Wouldnt such course be easier to maintainced and wouldnt golf courses benefit from being natural built? What do you think?

I think you are right in terms of the game as originally played but bunkers came to be an accepted part of a golf course in the same way as proper teeing grounds and specially prepared greens.

Look at it another way. Imagine someone building a golf course in 1895 or 1925. It's a parkland course but the designer and the patrons have played links golf where there are lots of bunkers. The challenge and appearance of the course will clearly enhanced by the presence of bunkers. Why would they not include them?

 

[Laka]

I was going to mention all the things that aren't natural that are included besides bunkers but it seemed a bit pedantic, instead I'd ask what would you replace them with if a parkland course didn't have bunkers? (assuming they'd be replaced by something acting for similar reasons to the purpose of a bunker)

Well i guess its for an course designer to create natural Hazards---not for me----but the easiest could be-- why not grass bunkers with different grass length and thickness. I guess you also can do a lot with small bushes and create hazards

I guess there are lot of ideas out here how you can replace sandbunkers

 

[DAVEYBOY]

I think bunkers look great on any course.

 

[Colin L]

Well i guess its for an course designer to create natural Hazards---not for me----but the easiest could be-- why not grass bunkers with different grass length and thickness. I guess you also can do a lot with small bushes and create hazards

I guess there are lot of ideas out here how you can replace sandbunkers

I wouldn't agree with the idea of replacing bunkers. They are an integral feature of golf and being able to play out of them is one of the basic skills a golfer has to learn.

 

[duncan mackie]

Well i guess its for an course designer to create natural Hazards---not for me----but the easiest could be-- why not grass bunkers with different grass length and thickness. I guess you also can do a lot with small bushes and create hazards

I guess there are lot of ideas out here how you can replace sandbunkers

generally sand bunkers are prepared hazards from which a skilfull player can still avoid 'penalty'; there is a clear risk reward element in considering play in that area.

small bushes and thick grass areas can not only prevent play completely but risk loosing the ball, as such they have a completely different risk reward associated with them.

the good course designer uses them all appropriately, plus water, slopes etc etc

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Plenty of courses around without bunkers that were built well over a hundred years ago so were bunkers always a design requirement. I don't think so.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Plenty of courses around without bunkers that were built well over a hundred years ago so were bunkers always a design requirement. I don't think so.

Exactly!
The majority of parkland courses will find the cost of long term maintenance of sand bunkers to be so high that they end up failing to make certain that their bunkers are consistent.

More imaginative course design would see the numbers reduced and greater use made of other hazards more in keeping with the course's natural terrain.

Grass bunkers can be a very effective alternative with different lengths of grass between the sides and base. Due to their likely size the likelihood of losing a ball in the longer grass at the base is remote.

To my mind the preponderance of sand as a hazard on parkland courses is down to lack of foresight on the part of the club/owner commissioning the design and lazy thinking by course designers and architects.

 

[Laka]

Exactly!
The majority of parkland courses will find the cost of long term maintenance of sand bunkers to be so high that they end up failing to make certain that their bunkers are consistent.

More imaginative course design would see the numbers reduced and greater use made of other hazards more in keeping with the course's natural terrain.

Grass bunkers can be a very effective alternative with different lengths of grass between the sides and base. Due to their likely size the likelihood of losing a ball in the longer grass at the base is remote.

To my mind the preponderance of sand as a hazard on parkland courses is down to lack of foresight on the part of the club/owner commissioning the design and lazy thinking by course designers and architects.

:thup:spot on :clap:

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Is sand an natural element on such courses? Should any unnatural element be allowed on the course? ...
The question is --- should an course contain unnatural elements?

I think the simple answer to this question is that there is nothing 'natural' about golf played over parkland. And therefore having bunkers on a parkland course is entirely consistent with creating an 'inland' version of what is found over natural coastal linksland.