Bunkers

[Deleted member 15344]

How are your bunkers at the moment in this weather ?

Here is our situation and what’s happened

So right now our sand if very fluffy because the rainfall you normally get hasn’t arrived it hasn’t been able to compact the sand up like it normally does throughout the year so people are having issues with the level and fineness of the sand (we have too much of it in a number of our bunkers )

So what the plan was a bunch of us were going to go out early evening as a working party and the bunkers were going to be watered and then heavy back raked to compact the sand and then once it’s compacted you rake it normally just to break the top of the sand and you end up with nice bunkers with an inch or so of loose sand on top of compacted sand

Well this morning turned up bright and early and saw the GK around the bunkers raking and could see water being used - excellent I thought , one of the biggest comps of the year and the bunkers are going to be great to fit in nicely with the greens and fairways

Anyway I didn’t think nothing of it until I got to the fourth and my shot just trickled over the edge into the bunker - walked up to the bunker to be surprised to see a bunker than had been soaked in water then back racked and then nothing - so the sand was heavily compacted and the ball plugged deep against the face - then took me four shots to get out of it because the sand was that heavy and balls plugging - by the time I finished the bunker was raked lovely , well I thought that the greenkeepers must have missed one - how wrong was I - every single bunker was heavily watered and back raked with any ball going in meaning you had the just close the face hit it hard and hope - I had to take two further drops and the ball hit the face then back to hit me twice - ending up dropping 12 shots in 4 bunkers !!

Because we went out first us and the groups behind us whenever we went into a bunker ended up raking it nice and lovely for the people behind so the later starters ended up having a nice raked bunkers

It seems utterly madness to do that to the bunkers and make them near unplayable- why would they not rake them after watering them so much ??’

 

[Fish]

Just play the course as it is, ours are like fine kiln dried sand currently, but like any bunker sand on our travels, you soon get an idea of the sand and play it to suit. I always take a sand wedge normally with a high bounce but currently in these conditions I’m using my 60 with only 5 bounce and parachuting the ball out, which is working well.

I think you’ve learned the hard way not to artificially meddle with the bunkers, and why a membership working party? with not much cutting to do, why not ask the greenkeepers to look at the bunkers to water & rake them the day before as late as possible, I think ending up doing it in the morning was asking for problems imo.

 

[SammmeBee]

Rub of the green?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Just play the course as it is, ours are like fine kiln dried sand currently, but like any bunker sand on our travels, you soon get an idea of the sand and play it to suit. I always take a sand wedge normally with a high bounce but currently in these conditions I’m using my 60 with only 5 bounce and parachuting the ball out, which is working well.

I think you’ve learned the hard way not to artificially meddle with the bunkers, and why a membership working party? with not much cutting to do, why not ask the greenkeepers to look at the bunkers to water & rake them the day before as late as possible, I think ending up doing it in the morning was asking for problems imo.

Good points. Surely the staff can't be doing too much moaning so why aren't they upkeeping the bunkers and why aren't they actually raking them anyway to move the sand about. Ours are actually ok with a decent level of sand. It's fine and powdery at the moment and the bounce really working (linear method). I think if you play a course regularly, you'll know what sort of bounce you'll need

 

[Captainron]

Unlucky Phil. Hope they sort it out for you but you have something to work on now (plugged lies) :lol:

 

[Grant85]

I have noticed at a links course I play a few times each year (Kinghorn). They have gone through a project of turning larger bunkers into multiple pot bunkers. Maybe 2 or 3 depending on how big the original was. They are not hideously deep.

Very clever in my opinion. Makes them a bit more of a challenge and also makes it harder for the sand to blow out of.

They also use sand off the beach, so it is more granular rather than powdery. But obviously doesn't look like that fancy very light coloured sand. But in reality, much better for golf.

 

[Capella]

Ours are a bit of a disaster, not just now but generally. The problem is that they filled really awful construction sand in about two years ago, because they could get it for free or very cheap from one of the members who runs a construction business. The problem is that the sand compacts like hell and then stays that way, even in dry conditions. So even though there theoretically is enough sand in the bunkers, you now have a thin loose layer of less than an inch and under that it is like concrete. If you try to play a normal bunker shot and take sand, you just skim the surface and then blade the ball either into the bunker wall or over the green. When you are very lucky and it has not dug in at all, you can try to pick it cleanly in a very delicate little pitch shot. But if it is buried in that top layer, you are pretty much doomed.

 

[jim8flog]

Watering bunkers!!!!

They are meant to be hazards.

You look at the lie choose the appropriate club and shot for the conditions.

Whatever next - perfectly manicured fairways!!!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Watering bunkers!!!!

They are meant to be hazards.

You look at the lie choose the appropriate club and shot for the conditions.

Whatever next - perfectly manicured fairways!!!

Nothing wrong with watering the bunkers - regardless of them being hazards they still need to be consistent and fair for all golfers , watering them which a lot of clubs do allows the sand to compact up which a lot of clubs like their bunkers to be.

Unless you advocate not raking bunkers because as you say “they are meant to be hazards”

 

[Pin-seeker]

Just suck it up and play the course,no point moaning about.

 

[Norrin Radd]

its the same for everyone, play the course as you find it.
moan by all means but why bother you havent been singled out . the green keepers set the course up so have a word with them and ask why they did what they did ,i must say though that i would rather play out of fluffy dry sand than watered sand .it would be interesting to know why they felt the bunkers needed watering and not just a thorough raking distributing the sand evenly in them.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

its the same for everyone, play the course as you find it.
moan by all means but why bother you havent been singled out . the green keepers set the course up so have a word with them and ask why they did what they did ,i must say though that i would rather play out of fluffy dry sand than watered sand .it would be interesting to know why they felt the bunkers needed watering and not just a thorough raking distributing the sand evenly in them.

its actually not the same for everyone because anytime someone goes into a bunker they then rake the bunker leaving the sand nice and fluffy for the players behind - which was also another point that frustrated the group that went out early

 

[HankMarvin]

It's been said already bunkers are hazards so you just need to suck it up and play the shot, it's not like every bunker you land in has been well maintained and perfectly raked is it ?

Just winging for the sake of winging :swing:

 

[Deleted member 15344]

It's been said already bunkers are hazards so you just need to suck it up and play the shot, it's not like every bunker you land in has been well maintained and perfectly raked is it ?

Just winging for the sake of winging :swing:

Ah welcome back Bomber - I think not for the first time you clearly miss the point , I’ll try in simple turns

Each club including your own prepares the bunkers for the following day’s play - and I have no doubt you have gone into a bunker and had a grumble if it hasn’t been prepared well

On this occasion the greenstaff prepared the bunkers that turned them sand that was like wet set extremely compact and certainly not like many bunkers if any seen before - it was a totally different characteristic compared to the previous ten years at the course but that characteristic was going to change dramatically throughout the day as a person entered a fresh bunker because they then would play in it , end up raking it as we are told too which would then give the sand it’s nice fluffy feel which everyone is used too and they then felt the benefit of those freshly raked bunkers so essentially the course is dramatically different for players later in the day - that’s not fair when you would expect the bunkers to have the same or at least as near as possible to the same characteristics for all the players especially when it’s was an important

Now it was a valid complaint that was voiced by multiple people and it was an issue that resulted in over 20 people having to NR the round due to bunker issues and all 20 started before 10

I will of course ask the greenkeeper and Golf director the thinking behind why they did what they did to the bunkers and I understand people have already been very vocal about them - understand the captain also voiced a complaint so the statement that it’s “complaining for the sake of it” or words to that affect is up to your normal nonsense standards

But the final point - this is a golf forum where people will discuss any issues in regards Golf and you will get all manner of complaints or grumbles - if you don’t like it then just walk on by

 

[HankMarvin]

Ah welcome back Bomber - I think not for the first time you clearly miss the point , I’ll try in simple turns

Each club including your own prepares the bunkers for the following day’s play - and I have no doubt you have gone into a bunker and had a grumble if it hasn’t been prepared well

On this occasion the greenstaff prepared the bunkers that turned them sand that was like wet set extremely compact and certainly not like many bunkers if any seen before - it was a totally different characteristic compared to the previous ten years at the course but that characteristic was going to change dramatically throughout the day as a person entered a fresh bunker because they then would play in it , end up raking it as we are told too which would then give the sand it’s nice fluffy feel which everyone is used too and they then felt the benefit of those freshly raked bunkers so essentially the course is dramatically different for players later in the day - that’s not fair when you would expect the bunkers to have the same or at least as near as possible to the same characteristics for all the players especially when it’s was an important

Now it was a valid complaint that was voiced by multiple people and it was an issue that resulted in over 20 people having to NR the round due to bunker issues and all 20 started before 10

I will of course ask the greenkeeper and Golf director the thinking behind why they did what they did to the bunkers and I understand people have already been very vocal about them - understand the captain also voiced a complaint so the statement that it’s “complaining for the sake of it” or words to that affect is up to your normal nonsense standards

But the final point - this is a golf forum where people will discuss any issues in regards Golf and you will get all manner of complaints or grumbles - if you don’t like it then just walk on by

so have you never played golf during or after a heavy downpour or do you expect the green keepers to be at your beckon call with rake in hand, just seems like you are winging and want to blame the green keepers coz you had a bad day, simple as that no matter how you try to dress it up.

Look up hazard and see what it means

 

[Deleted member 15344]

so have you never played golf during or after a heavy downpour or do you expect the green keepers to be at your beckon call with rake in hand, just seems like you are winging and want to blame the green keepers coz you had a bad day, simple as that no matter how you try to dress it up.

Look up hazard and see what it means

Again a heavy downpour isnt the same as the green staff "watering the bunkers and then back raking them"because after a downpour someone doesnt go around then back raking the bunkers -

know exactly what a hazard is - went into one bunker that hadnt been watered and back raked - was able to play a proper bunker shot with no issues

I have plenty of bad days on a golf course but again it just seems you have missed the point Sam - either for an affect or you're struggling to see the picture

Maybe you dont understand the concept of back raking after watering and what it does to the same - maybe that would b the cause of your lack of getting the point :thup:

 

[Fish]

I will of course ask the greenkeeper and Golf director the thinking behind why they did what they did to the bunkers and I understand people have already been very vocal about them

I don’t get this, I thought this was a collective decision by a few of you becoming a working party so weren’t the greens staff acting on your instructions?

So what the plan was a bunch of us were going to go out early evening as a working party and the bunkers were going to be watered and then heavy back raked to compact the sand and then once it’s compacted you rake it normally just to break the top of the sand
Well this morning turned up bright and early and saw the GK around the bunkers raking and could see water being used - excellent I thought , one of the biggest comps of the year and the bunkers are going to be great to fit in nicely with the greens and fairways ’

 

[hovis]

watering bunkers? I've heard it all now. our bunkers are the same as ever. if they do get a little fluffy just change your technique

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I don’t get this, I thought this was a collective decision by a few of you becoming a working party so weren’t the greens staff acting on your instructions?

No we were going to do it during the week next week in the evening after speaking to the golf director and we were going to then rake them normally after back raking them

The green staff work on the instructions of golf director

The issue is why they didnt rake them normally after they back raked them and just left them compacted like quick dry cement - worst bunkers i have ever been in and they spoilt the course

In some places all you could do was take an unplayable.

 

[HankMarvin]

watering bunkers? I've heard it all now. our bunkers are the same as ever. if they do get a little fluffy just change your technique

havent you read all his posts the water was not like normal water and the bunkers had been back raked so maybe he didn’t know how to adapt, here was me thinking bunkers were hazards full of sand that you had to try and avoid but if not then you had to pay the penalty and take it on the chin.