Bunkers - should they be consistent

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Should all bunkers on a golf course play the same? And if so why?

We are in the middle of a bunker improvement programme that will take a few years to complete and so we have a mix of old and new - and variation in bunkers causes endless heated discussions round our place. Not that the bunkers are poor - but they vary a bit. And so the question is valid in general.

The rough around a course is different here, there and everywhere - and playing out of the rough requires skills and shots specific to the specific bit of rough you are in. So why should the same not equally apply to bunkers. Why SHOULD they all be the same?

It's taken me a bit, but I've now worked out how to play out of both old and new bunkers. I did complain at first - but I worked on my bunker game - and now that I've sussed what to do I don't complain and realise and will admit that I was wrong. All I need to do is adapt my bunker shot in accordance with the bunker conditions and circumstances I find my ball in.

 

[ScienceBoy]

The aim should be to provide enough consistency to allow players to not be randomly guessing on the result but varied enough to test a player during a round.

As a minimum bunkers should contain sand, not all clubs find that easy to keep consistent and its not always their fault.

 

[sydney greenstreet]

There should be a mix of all types, after all a bunker is a hazard.

 

[Sid Rixon IV]

On several of ours you hit mud/clay/soil just below the sand.

How would you play out of sand that is wet and frozen solid in winter?
I ask because I once got in a greenside bunker on a par 4 in 2.
The lie meant I had to play standing out of the bunker and had no idea it was frozen.
Shot 3 went over the trees and out of the course.
NR on hole 1.

 

[Foxholer]

At one old place there were 3 types of greenside bunker bases - though it was normally pretty obvious which style a particular bunker was. A program of refurbishment introduced a fourth type - though again pretty obvious.

As long as there are no 'surprises' I don't have a problem with having to use slightly different techniques according to the type of bunker.

Gullane #2 5th hole had 3 different types of 'sand' in different bunkers a while ago - Shells, Orangey heavy-ish and Grey Light-ish. All played nicely.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

A bunker is a hazard, as long as they have enough sand then consistency isn't important in my view, we should have the game to get out of all lies and we can't really complain if we don't.

 

[Robobum]

They should all be consistent.

As you are not allowed to test the surface, how will you know that there are all different types on the same course?

 

[sydney greenstreet]

There should be a mix of all types, after all a bunker is a hazard.

Sorry I thought you meant all the same size and shape, all different sizes and shapes but the texture should be the same or as close as in all the bunkers.

 

[Foxholer]

They should all be consistent.

As you are not allowed to test the surface, how will you know that there are all different types on the same course?

That depends very much on what you define as 'testing the surface'. As (since 1/1/2012) you are specifically allowed to smooth sand in the same bunker that your ball is in - provided it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course.... - that action must be deemed as not testing the surface Likewise, you are permitted to take your stance, so any info from that is allowed - though I believe that's the reason you are not allowed to change your club after you have done so.

The different types on that Gullane hole were pretty obvious.

The 3 original types at that old club were pretty obvious to either the eye or through the feet.

Fairway bunkers can be different from green-side ones too. Hard-pan is fine - though less of a hazard. Some places deliberately don't supply rakes for Fairway bunkers.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

On several of ours you hit mud/clay/soil just below the sand.

How would you play out of sand that is wet and frozen solid in winter?
I ask because I once got in a greenside bunker on a par 4 in 2.
The lie meant I had to play standing out of the bunker and had no idea it was frozen.
Shot 3 went over the trees and out of the course.
NR on hole 1.

Nope - just drop another ball and continue playing your 5th shot.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

This is interesting and so far I am pleasantly surprised. I thought the consensus was likely to be that all bunkers should have the same sort and depth of sand - and so play consistently witjh the player able to use the same technique for any bunker etc.

My argument tends to be that as long as a bunker plays pretty much consistently from round to round given weather conditions being similar - then that's all that matters. We just use our experience of bunker play to assess the bunker when we walk into it to determine the shot we play.

Too much molly-coddling going on and too much expectation that once the pro says 'this is how you play a bunker shot' then that's it - it's up to the bunkers to conform with your technique when it should be the other way around.

 

[Ethan]

I think that the consistency of sand should be reasonably uniform. The bunkers can be different shapes and be steep or shallow but it seems unreasonable to play two bunker shots on successive holes where one is off concrete with a gentle dusting of sand where theclub can't be allowed to bounce and the other is deep soft sand where the club buries deep.

 

[El Bandito]

It's nice if they are consistent, but I suspect it is quite expensive to maintain. Should they be? I don't see why, they are a hazard after all. Part of the skill of bunker play is assessing the lie with a combination of your eyes and your feet and playing the right shot.

 

[RGDave]

A bunker is a hazard, as long as they have enough sand then consistency isn't important in my view, we should have the game to get out of all lies and we can't really complain if we don't.

Agreed. We have a beastly one on our last green; not only is it very deep with a massive wall, it rarely has sand. Don't know why, but the thing is not to get greedy. Like most hazards I guess....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My biggest gripe is when there is no sand. You try and play a proper splash shot and the club skids on the base of the bunker. As long as the depth of sand is consistent I'm not too bothered.

 

[Birchy]

Depth of sand is always going to be hard to keep consistent accross all on the course. Bunker is a hazard and its a skill working out how much sand you can take etc.

As long as there is a reasonable amount of sand in the bunker then theres nothing to complain about imo.

 

[williamalex1]

Nope - just drop another ball and continue playing your 5th shot.

After raking the bunker .

 

[Foxholer]

After raking the bunker .

Not a lot of point when the bunker was frozen!

 

[NorfolkShaun]

They should be consistent really, at our place they rarely are and sadly they are full of stones too. I now carry an old wedge for bunker shots because of the stones.

I have heard a few times bunkers are expensive to maintain our course does have a lot of them too, some holes have more than six good size bunkers with most having four or five, only the par threes have less. I guess this is why they are often in bad shape.

 

[Imurg]

I some holes have more than six good size bunkers with most having four or five,

Guess we're lucky then - we have 6 on the whole course!!