Hazards (bunkers) The good the bad & the ugly

[Slab]

Couple of threads on bunkers at the moment got me thinking about the man made hazards on courses and specifically bunkers

Can you as the golfer typically understand why a hazard or bunker is where it is and is it right to have it in your opinion? (Examples of your experiences of good and bad hazards appreciated here)

I.e is it purely a hazard for aesthetic value or perhaps its strategic to promote a particular way to play a hole. Maybe it’s there to add a degree of difficulty (if it’s for difficulty, does this hazard apply to all golfers or only those of a lower ability & is that the right use of a hazard) Maybe the hazard is there to protect a ball exiting the course or from running into an even bigger hazard i.e a bunker at rear of green before a water hazard. Or maybe it’s there for another reason

Thoughts?


Edit: I may not get to add my comments to the thread for a couple of days but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in reading the replies

 

[beggsy]

Golf is a game of strategy and skill they are placed in positions to make it harder for us

 

[davidy233]

"Most golfers have an erroneous view of the real object of hazards. The majority of them simply look upon a hazard as a means of punishing a bad shot, whereas their real object is to make the game more interesting" - Alister MacKenzie (The Spirit of St Andrews)

 

[Slab]

Golf is a game of strategy and skill they are placed in positions to make it harder for us

Appreciate the reply beggsy but would disagree that they are placed only to make it harder (I think this is just one reason/function of a hazard)

I.e a bunker hazard that's placed to stop the ball running OOB or into a water hazard is not typically making it harder for us is it?

 

[Imurg]

We have areas of rough on 2 of out par 5's that basically split the fairway into 2.
On the face of it, not a bad idea. It stops the Bombers driving long and reaching the green in 2.
But tbey start at around the 270 yard mark. The main purpose of them seems to be to catch higher handicapper's 2nd shots, making it very tricky to reach the green in 3. For a half-decent pmayer they don't come into play.
Same with some of our bunkers.
We only have 6, due to boring reasons that I won't bore you with because, well, they'll bore you.
2 of them are so far off line or short in No-Man's-Land that I can't remember the last time I even went near them let alone in them.
3 are greenside but not really in the right place so don't get much use..
The last is a fairway bunker on a Par 5 that is 200 from the tee.
Loadsa room either dise and not too tricky to carry it, for me anyway, also can't remember the last time I went in it.
If we were able, I could put another 20 or 30 bunkers around the course that would really toughen things up...

 

[pokerjoke]

"Most golfers have an erroneous view of the real object of hazards. The majority of them simply look upon a hazard as a means of punishing a bad shot, whereas their real object is to make the game more interesting" - Alister MacKenzie (The Spirit of St Andrews)

Whilst I see where hes coming from I disagree a little.

Two holes recently where I played.
The 18th at West Hills and the 15th at Yeovil golf club.
Both of these holes had bunkers right in the middle of the fairway.
West Hills was at 290 ish I think,yeovils was at over 300 yards.
If these hazards are put there to make the course more interesting,then I disagree
with the comment above.
All these bunkers are doing are stopping big hitters going for greens in one on a par 4.
Maybe having these bunkers to the right or left of the fairway,to punish a wayward drive
would be imo be a better position.
Why punish a great and straight drive.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Whilst I see where hes coming from I disagree a little.

Two holes recently where I played.
The 18th at West Hills and the 15th at Yeovil golf club.
Both of these holes had bunkers right in the middle of the fairway.
West Hills was at 290 ish I think,yeovils was at over 300 yards.
If these hazards are put there to make the course more interesting,then I disagree
with the comment above.
All these bunkers are doing are stopping big hitters going for greens in one on a par 4.
Maybe having these bunkers to the right or left of the fairway,to punish a wayward drive
would be imo be a better position.
Why punish a great and straight drive.

It's been a while since I played either of these courses but from memory, neither of those bunkers are in driving distance. The one at Yeovil is probably designed to catch the 2nd shot for higher handicappers (who get a shot on the hole) and the one at WH is in the face of a mound IIRC. You don't want to be too close to that mound otherwise you won't be able to reach in 2 due to the elevation required to get over it, the smart shot is to lay up a bit further back from it.

 

[pokerjoke]

It's been a while since I played either of these courses but from memory, neither of those bunkers are in driving distance. The one at Yeovil is probably designed to catch the 2nd shot for higher handicappers (who get a shot on the hole) and the one at WH is in the face of a mound IIRC. You don't want to be too close to that mound otherwise you won't be able to reach in 2 due to the elevation required to get over it, the smart shot is to lay up a bit further back from it.

Smart golf.whats that.
You might well be right on both accounts.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Smart golf.whats that.
You might well be right on both accounts.

I've heard of it.....but that's about all.......

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Most bunkers, certainly greenside are usually short and to the side and specifically designed to catch an erroneous shot, especially anything with a mid-short iron which really should be finding the target. Even from distance, if most golfers allowed themselves to park the ego and take one more club they would clear these and still be no worse than mid-back of a green and putting.

We have a hole, only 320 yards with a bunker at the 270 mark. It is there to catch the long hitters going for it and the shot on the fly. I have no issue with it being there. It is a tough sloping green and so the strength of such a short hole for most is that you may only have 80-120 yards but just hitting the green isn't a guarantee of a par.

My biggest bugbear though are bunkers placed on fairways, but are only placed in range for the real big hitters and pros and where there is nothing to punish the club golfer. Our par five 5th has one way out around 280-290 and I can't get near it so it poses no threat and I can aim at it with impunity. If there was one 30-40 yards shorter it would suddenly make the right side which is a big target off the tee much narrower.

I think places like Camberley Heath, West Hill and Woburn, from three GM forum venues I've played all benefit from having great bunkering off the tee which makes the courses far more strategic and not a case of seeing a number on the card and immediately reaching for the driver

 

[Region3]

The Hotchkin at Woodhall Spa has the best (most thought provoking) fairway bunkering of any course I've played, and because you aren't reaching the green from most of them they really do make you think about club selection and line off the tee.