Bunkers

[bobmac]

Only one hole but a fair few others have very penal shots if you go long, bushes, thick rough, trees etc.... guessing you are saying more people should club up as less danger at the back?

Exactly.
If you are struggling with GIR, try this next time you play...............

Add 10 yds on to every approach shot you play (except the holes with bushes/trees/oob etc at the back.
You get 2 points every time your approach shot finishes beyond the pin and lose 1 point for every shot that is short of it.

 

[Ross61]

None, unless you count a few that are on the double greens that are meant for the other hole sharing, but if you are in them you are very long and deserve to get sandy feet.

 

[richart]

None.

On most of our holes there is no room for a bunker, as behind our greens is heather, gorse, bushes, trees, steep run offs and even out of bounds. Long is generally dead, where as short gives you a nice chip up the green that slopes towards you. Nearly all our bunkers are to the side of the green. With greens that slope from back to front, I would rather be half a club short than long.

Think most heathland and links course which encourage shots to be run into the green, have most of the trouble long.

 

[turkish]

Exactly.
If you are struggling with GIR, try this next time you play...............

Add 10 yds on to every approach shot you play (except the holes with bushes/trees/oob etc at the back.
You get 2 points every time your approach shot finishes beyond the pin and lose 1 point for every shot that is short of it.

In a generality I would agree but for my level on some of the holes at mine you are better missing short left/right than long/pin high to the right or left... it's really a course management question though- if the miss left/right long or pin high isn't too penal then it's a shot I should think more about

 

[Break90]

One on the Old Course, 3 on the Wandlebury, however most greens have some sort of trouble at the back of the green, mainly grassy hollows and steep banks.

 

[Norrin Radd]

two on my course ,and i have been in both on many an occasion.
like Bob says ,or is at least hinting at ,you have a lot more trouble in front of the green as opposed to the back ,and how many times has your approach shots been past the flag ,im betting not nearly as many that have been short of it.

 

[Imurg]

Exactly.
If you are struggling with GIR, try this next time you play...............

Add 10 yds on to every approach shot you play (except the holes with bushes/trees/oob etc at the back.
You get 2 points every time your approach shot finishes beyond the pin and lose 1 point for every shot that is short of it.

Get what you're saying Bob, but if I come up short it's normally that ive hit a poor shot rather than under clubbed...I'm also just a likely to miss left or right at the moment

 

[Region3]

I know it boils down to the same thing, but I think it's more about being honest with yourself about how far you hit the ball than deliberately taking what you think is too much club.

 

[bobmac]

Get what you're saying Bob, but if I come up short it's normally that ive hit a poor shot rather than under clubbed...I'm also just a likely to miss left or right at the moment

This was aimed at the people who are struggling with GIR, not brilliant players like yourself.

How often do the higher handicaps strike their approaches perfectly?

 

[garyinderry]

The principle is sound but the reality might not be.


Out the back of lee park means tricky chips up a little slope every time plus other dangers. Plus we are not always standing in the middle of the fairway looking down the barrel of the green. Often we are coming in from side meaning a pull or slice can still put you in one of the side bunkers with the possibility of running further into the crap due to using more club than is necessary.

 

[Slab]

It may not be bunkers but jeez there's a hell'uva lot of holes with trouble if you're long that you'd actually pray to swap for a nice sandy bunker

The underlying advise to club up is no bad thing but not based on the absence of a bunker (anyway golfers aren't going to do it cos they wont be able to stand in the clubhouse & say they hit their PW when they're 160yrds out)

 

[garyinderry]

similar reasoning to why I am not the biggest fan of clubbing up and hitting it easier. Especially in the summer. You are bringing the ball in lower with less spin so it will run and run especially if you are using a distance ball.

This is a good shot to get into a back pin location but also a recipe for running into trouble through the green or miles away from middle / front pin.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

This was aimed at the people who are struggling with GIR, not brilliant players like yourself.

How often do the higher handicaps strike their approaches perfectly?

This gets to the nub of it. As Bob says this is probably more targetted to people like myself rather than the single figure boys. There was something similar mentioned in GM a while ago and I try to stick to the idea behind it. You have to force yourself to do it but the theory is sound and it works better than not on most occasions.

 

[bobmac]

The principle is sound but the reality might not be.


Out the back of lee park means tricky chips up a little slope every time plus other dangers.

I'm only suggesting you go up one club.
If your green is 25-30 yards front to back and you hit one extra club and you hit it perfectly, you'll still be on the green

 

[Slab]

This was aimed at the people who are struggling with GIR, not brilliant players like yourself.

How often do the higher handicaps strike their approaches perfectly?

I'm only suggesting you go up one club.
If your green is 25-30 yards front to back and you hit one extra club and you hit it perfectly, you'll still be on the green

Sounds like the list of folks its aimed at is getting smaller & smaller

 

[bobmac]

similar reasoning to why I am not the biggest fan of clubbing up and hitting it easier. Especially in the summer. You are bringing the ball in lower with less spin so it will run and run especially if you are using a distance ball.

This is a good shot to get into a back pin location but also a recipe for running into trouble through the green or miles away from middle / front pin.

I didnt say hit it easier, although it may stop you from forcing a club less and we're not in the summer, we've only just got to spring where courses are still pretty soft.

 

[bobmac]

Sounds like the list of folks its aimed at is getting smaller & smaller

And if you dont quite hit it perfectly, you'll still be on the green, not in the front bunker

 

[garyinderry]

As I say, it has sound reasoning. It just needs to be used in conjunction with other facets of course management. Not just go to shot. I suppose that's obvious.

 

[Dan2501]

Three at our place.

 

[brendy]

Exactly.
If you are struggling with GIR, try this next time you play...............

Add 10 yds on to every approach shot you play (except the holes with bushes/trees/oob etc at the back.
You get 2 points every time your approach shot finishes beyond the pin and lose 1 point for every shot that is short of it.

None, but have quite a few with trees and OOB...