Bunkers

This thread has made me think about my home course and realise why it is pretty difficult to go low. There really is little safe room for bail outs and misses that leave easy up and downs.

Not one bunker further than 1/2 way up the green.
 
As a general principle, agree with Bob spot on.

If most club players were to keep a note of their approach shots, ie shots where the flag is in range and they have to choose a particular club, I would hazard a guess that at least 90+% of these shots finish short of the pin.
 
4 behind holes and one removed recently, that said in general there is more trouble at the back (and little room to it) than the front of the greens on our course, in fact theres only 2 holes, maybe 3 where long is a better miss than short!
 
As much as I get the point, surely it just cannot be blindly applied. I remember reading the same argument a while back - Mid- high handicappers will more likely mishit (even slightly) than pure their irons and as a result clubbing up will get them to their target.

My experience with this is a bit different. If my greens were 20-30 yards deep then I would likely consider this approach. There no where near this deep in general. Another factor are modern irons (GI in particular). Slight mi***** (some even sever mi*****) often loose little or no distance. Also like others all the trouble (no bunkers) is at the back of the green. A slight miss to the front, left or right and I'm confident of my chance of up and down. Not confident of the back of many.

There are defiantly times where I club up as the green will accept a longer hit to the back, particularly if the flag is in the back area. Miss hit and I'm nearer my target. It's not the norm though. I like the idea behind it but surely like every hole you need to look at where the better miss is/target is/consider how your striking that day etc etc and take that into account.
 
This kind of harks back to the thread we had on New Golf Thinking, taking extra and playing for the back of the green (if no trouble present) was one of the things that John promoted. Obviously course management comes into it, no good playing longer if there's trouble there, but as a rule of thumb, it's not a bad one.
 
need_my_wedge said:
Could also include back left on three, back right on 7 (possibly 6 too) but closest would be the wrap around bunker back right on 13 :)
Click to expand...

They aren't at the back of the green though - all those are on the side with maybe the 13th just about creeping into the back
 
Just one back bunker hole at ours and you're better in there than being short.

I also just ran through our course and counted nine holes where you're better 10 yards short and nine where you are better 10 yards long.

Once again the West Links is perfectly balanced:D
 
Two holes had back bunkers - one with one and one with two. The bunker on the hole with one we took out as part of the autumn programme as it was too penalising for the players most likely to get into it, these being players who have plonked their tee shot into the front cross-bunker - and who then thin their bunker shot over the green - into the back bunker.

So now only two back bunkers on the one hole - and that is to prevent balls that go over the back of the green (easy to do) going into the boundary hedge or out of bounds that is down a slope from the green and only maybe 3m from putting surface.
 
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Three holes with sand at the back and a a further three with serious problems if you are long. Interesting someone (and not me!!) mentioned NGT as clubbing up was a key part of the morning talk John O'Keeffe gave to those of us at the Grove and when we put it into action on the course in the afternoon, it was obvious that it made a big difference, even on the largish Grove greens
 
Our par three fifth hole has one at the back and one either side. Don't ask me how but I managed to play all three bunkers in one hole.

Next time I played I was in the back bunker and pitched it in the hole.

In a bunker today and took me four to get out. First shot I completely missed the ball and took a great divot of sand out about two inch behind the ball😳
 
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