Fairway Bunker 200yds from Tee

SwingsitlikeHogan

SwingsitlikeHogan

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On our 12th we have a large fairway bunker jutting into the LHS of the fairway - the bunker is 210yds from the back tee. The fairway is 24yds wide at this point. It is about 180yds from the bunker to the middle of the green. The hole is straight - playing from a very raised tee.

The safe shot is to play an iron off the tee to avoid the bunker and get in the gap or just short of it and the buynker; a misdirected driver tee shot can clear the bunker but get into long rough and be blocked out by trees - or if down the right will end up in trees with no shot. But at 210yds a well hit 3i can make the bunker even if it is only slight misdirected. Is this a little unfair when you are trying to play safe? My thoughts would be to fill it in and create another bunker say 30yds further on - 240yds off the tee - leaving 150yds to the centre of the green. This seems a better balance of risk/reward.

Thoughts please
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
On our 12th we have a large fairway bunker jutting into the LHS of the fairway - the bunker is 210yds from the back tee. The fairway is 24yds wide at this point. It is about 180yds from the bunker to the middle of the green. The hole is straight - playing from a very raised tee.

The safe shot is to play an iron off the tee to avoid the bunker and get in the gap or just short of it and the buynker; a misdirected driver tee shot can clear the bunker but get into long rough and be blocked out by trees - or if down the right will end up in trees with no shot. But at 210yds a well hit 3i can make the bunker even if it is only slight misdirected. Is this a little unfair when you are trying to play safe? My thoughts would be to fill it in and create another bunker say 30yds further on - 240yds off the tee - leaving 150yds to the centre of the green. This seems a better balance of risk/reward.

Thoughts please
Click to expand...

not sure what the point of this tread is most on here would drive it 50 yards + over this bunker.
 
patricks148 said:
not sure what the point of this tread is most on here would drive it 50 yards + over this bunker.
Click to expand...

Oh you can do that - but risk ending up in deep doggy doo doo and a hack-out, or with no shot to the green as blocked out. Besides the bunker is a biggie and takes an awful lot of looking after - and not sure it's merited.

The only way to guarantee not going into the bunker is to play maybe a 5i - or less - off the tee and get left with over 200yds to the green.
 
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It really depends on the situation and your mindset. Do you need a 4, or are you happy to play it as a par 5? Sounds like a good hole to me. Makes you think a bit. 7 iron, 7 iron, wedge for me.
 
It's fine for the safe shot (as in not unfair) judgement isn't all about distance through the air!

My only question is around the realistic reward for clearing it - you make it sound impossible but I suspect it's just 'tricky'.

Then again 24yds is a fair width to aim at for the distances involved as well.

Finally, you seem to want to replace it with a bunker that would be completely out of play for anyone except those interested in bar room banter (I cleared that bunker by miles...but doubled the hole type)
 
What's the scenario playing from short of the bunker to the green? Is there good or poor visibility to the green and how big is it? What hazards are there around the green?

A 200 yard shot into the green sounds like a long par-3 to me, which seems fair challenge if generally playing from a good fairway lie after laying up.
 
Seems like a perfectly positioned hazard for the club golfer. Just in reach for the longer guys off the tee, asks big questions if they get greedy and take driver or three wood and leaves a demanding long iron/hybrid/fairway wood in if you miss the bunker. I would assume it has a reasonably low SI and so most would get a shot so take the bunker out of the equation, get it safely down there, hope for a pitch and putt and walk off with a five net four
 
Sounds like a short hole can still be hard if the trap is well placed.
My course is doing a whole load of lengthening to maintain or increase its SSS ... However a change in fairway cuts a few well placed bunkers would be just as effective.
I used to play the " supposed" qualifier next door, in excess of 7000 yards, but wide as a football pitch. It was just a case of smash it, then smash it again ...not really a challenge.
I like courses that make you think, not ones that can be over powered.
 
HomerJSimpson said:
Seems like a perfectly positioned hazard for the club golfer. Just in reach for the longer guys off the tee, asks big questions if they get greedy and take driver or three wood and leaves a demanding long iron/hybrid/fairway wood in if you miss the bunker. I would assume it has a reasonably low SI and so most would get a shot so take the bunker out of the equation, get it safely down there, hope for a pitch and putt and walk off with a five net four
Click to expand...



.
i think Martin has it nailed pretty well.
i would say it is in the exact place to make you think your game a little more .
 
duncan mackie said:
Irrelevant. Even if it's difficulty was a factor it would be relative to the other 8 holes on the 9 anyway.
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Maybe not, if it's SI 1, then the bunker were it currently is maybe part of the reason, if it's 18 then the bunker maybe irrelevant in its current position.
The mindset of how it's played will vary depending on the players ability.
 
How difficult is the shot out of the bunker? Is it a fairly flat bunker or does it have a high lip reducing the chance of reaching the green if your in it. If it's fairly flat I'd probably just bash it and try and hit it over it, 24 yards is fairly reasonable space to aim at, knowing I still have a reasonable chance of hitting the green if I put it in the bunker.
Case 2, what's it like roundabout the green? Is it tight and well protected meaning a long iron in from 200 would be a difficult shot or is it fairly open with a reasonable chance of getting up and down for par if you blast a 4 iron and miss the green
 
Hard call . off the bat id say id go for smashing it over it ..

If i was playing it regularly and was in it or the deep doo doo id lay up short so 5 iron off tee, 4 iron to green ..

we have bunkers on our 1st and 2nd about this distance i normally go over them tbh
 
Sounds like our 8th hole....tend to rip driver and hope for the best!
 
Thanks all - interesting. I'll roll up answers to the questions. It's 404yds SI 7. The green is angled front right to back left with a bunker guarding front left and a bunker all along the right hand edge. It is difficult to get in to. The bunker is generally flat but steepens very quickly at the green side edge - because of the relatively short distance off the tee your ball often rolls up the green side edge and stop close to the lip, and all you can play out is something like an 8i max.

It's not that difficult to clear the bunker (longer hitters). Smash it over the RH edge of the bunker and you may just stay on the fairway if you are lucky - more likely 1st cut rough. Anything centre or left of centre - deep rough and/or blocked out by trees and having to play over greenside bunker.

I should add - the prevailing south-westerly wind is directly left to right. And out of bounds down the right over/through the trees - so you often have to aim left of centre...

You start up high in the trees (and so your tee shot is exposed if it is windy) and the slope drops maybe 30ft to the cross path (see diagram)

hole-12.jpg
 
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Doesn't look like a 'fairway' bunker in that pic!

But no matter - it seems perfectly placed to make players think!
 
Sounds to me like the bigger issue is the gunch/trees and any measures would be better off combatting those if possible to reward challenging the bunker.
 
Seems to be a good hole with a couple of options depending on how well(or not) you're playing....
Playing well?
Driver or 3 wood to get past the bunker
Playing not so well?
Iron up to the bunker, another or hybrid to green or green side
Chip and a putt for a par - easy game
 
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