Stones in the Bunker

williamalex1

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Our greens team are expanding and re-shaping the bunker on our 1st Fairway and came across this when they started digging.
View attachment 39201
Now, I know you're allowed to move stones from the bunker now but this one could be a bit tricky!

Thankfully they have managed to remove it and the bunker work continues.
Many years ago the green staff were moving our original 8th green and found an old wooden door buried a couple feet down.
Luckily it didn't lead anywhere :D
 

Bratty

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Our greens team are expanding and re-shaping the bunker on our 1st Fairway and came across this when they started digging.
View attachment 39201
Now, I know you're allowed to move stones from the bunker now but this one could be a bit tricky!

Thankfully they have managed to remove it and the bunker work continues.
It's like the f****** one buried in a bunker at The Addington that my SW hit! Queue 100 yard flyer and a gouged sole! ?
 

need_my_wedge

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Apparently there's a car buried beneath a mound on the 16th hole at Leighton Buzzard.

A few years back, there was a patch just over the road on 12th that would not/ could not grow grass. Didn't matter how much seed and treatment we did, it was an eysore in the middle of the fairway. Eventually they decided to dig it up and put some new soil in, and found a rock very similar to the photo above just a few inches below the surface. Dug it out, filled with new soil and levelled, all looking good now.
 

clubchamp98

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We had a big problem with stones in bunkers.
We put felt linings in them all, worst thing they have ever done they are horrible.
There’s not enough sand in them to play a splash shot without hitting the lining.
Que loads of thin shots as the golfers try to play very little sand.
It’s like trying to play a bunker shot off a mat.
I would rather deal with the stones.
 

Orikoru

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We had a big problem with stones in bunkers.
We put felt linings in them all, worst thing they have ever done they are horrible.
There’s not enough sand in them to play a splash shot without hitting the lining.
Que loads of thin shots as the golfers try to play very little sand.
It’s like trying to play a bunker shot off a mat.
I would rather deal with the stones.
Sounds like you need a 70 degree wedge. :D
 

clubchamp98

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Sounds like you need a 70 degree wedge. :D
It’s not the loft .
It’s the bounce, I now play most of my bunker shots with a 58 degree wedge with only 8* bounce.
Anything with more bounce just rebounds off the lining.
It’s the way the bunkers were rebuilt that’s the problem.
Where they have steep sides the sand falls into the middle of the bunker.
You can see the fibres in the linings sticking through the sand what there is of it.
 

TigerBear

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Our greens team are expanding and re-shaping the bunker on our 1st Fairway and came across this when they started digging.
View attachment 39201
Now, I know you're allowed to move stones from the bunker now but this one could be a bit tricky!

Thankfully they have managed to remove it and the bunker work continues.

Played East Ren recently Rob and it was in great nick!

The fairway bunker on the left I've been in before. Nice big bunker and great feature of that hole.

Out of interest how are they reshaping it? Bigger, smaller, wider?
 

Robster59

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Played East Ren recently Rob and it was in great nick!

The fairway bunker on the left I've been in before. Nice big bunker and great feature of that hole.

Out of interest how are they reshaping it? Bigger, smaller, wider?
Glad you liked it. It really is going on from strength to strength. Next year is our centenary so lots going on with quite a big winter programme.

This is the latest update on the bunker.

1st Fairway bunker - We have now excavated and shaped the new 1st fairway bunker, installing a new drainage system. There were a few challenges in digging out the new bunker, such as removing a very large rock, which we were lucky to get out, as it was quite large and very heavy, but we got there in the end thankfully.

We have now rivetted the face and will shape and turf the outer edges of the bunker. We will install a 50mm bed of capillary concrete to the 1st bunker once the other bunkers are ready to be done. We have opted to have just the one fairway bunker at the 1st. We had planned to put a second bunker in, although after looking at the area we decided against this as we thought it may prove more difficult, and we feel there are enough challenges already there. The team will start renovating the 12th greenside bunker this week.
 

TigerBear

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Glad you liked it. It really is going on from strength to strength. Next year is our centenary so lots going on with quite a big winter programme.

This is the latest update on the bunker.

1st Fairway bunker - We have now excavated and shaped the new 1st fairway bunker, installing a new drainage system. There were a few challenges in digging out the new bunker, such as removing a very large rock, which we were lucky to get out, as it was quite large and very heavy, but we got there in the end thankfully.

We have now rivetted the face and will shape and turf the outer edges of the bunker. We will install a 50mm bed of capillary concrete to the 1st bunker once the other bunkers are ready to be done. We have opted to have just the one fairway bunker at the 1st. We had planned to put a second bunker in, although after looking at the area we decided against this as we thought it may prove more difficult, and we feel there are enough challenges already there. The team will start renovating the 12th greenside bunker this week.

Wow looks like the great work, despite the exit of lad from trump, is being continued! (y)

When I heard the news he was leaving, I thought would your course then drop in standards? Absolutely not from my round back in July. The course was immaculate and the greens were a joy. I played royal troon the week before and dare I say, the greens at East ren were far superior!

A pity they aren't adding in a second fairway bunker as that would have looked very pretty on the eye.
 

Robster59

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Wow looks like the great work, despite the exit of lad from trump, is being continued! (y)

When I heard the news he was leaving, I thought would your course then drop in standards? Absolutely not from my round back in July. The course was immaculate and the greens were a joy. I played royal troon the week before and dare I say, the greens at East ren were far superior!

A pity they aren't adding in a second fairway bunker as that would have looked very pretty on the eye.
I agree. I was worried when he went but what he has done is instil a mixture of pride, belief and care into the team. Something which the previous greenkeeper stifled.
They've seen what can be done with the right approach and the fact that everyone's ideas are listened to and discussed, and the team is well managed, means that the good work started by Paul is continuing. We've been given a list of plans for the winter, and it really is quite impressive. I think the club and staff want everything as right as they can be for the centenary.
 

TigerBear

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I agree. I was worried when he went but what he has done is instil a mixture of pride, belief and care into the team. Something which the previous greenkeeper stifled.
They've seen what can be done with the right approach and the fact that everyone's ideas are listened to and discussed, and the team is well managed, means that the good work started by Paul is continuing. We've been given a list of plans for the winter, and it really is quite impressive. I think the club and staff want everything as right as they can be for the centenary.

Good to hear Rob. I wish that mindset and attitude could be passed on to the greens team at my club :ROFLMAO:
 

Billysboots

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It seems very common these days for a course’s weak link, condition wise, to be the bunkers. Ours are absolutely appalling - full of stones, what sand there is has become very compacted, all in all an absolute mess.

To dig them out, re-line and refill them will cost upward of a quarter of a million quid (yes, really), but they are beyond awful. It’s impossible to have any confidence, as you never know until you’ve played a shot what you have beneath the ball, and it is extremely common to see shots bladed 20/30 yards through the green. Add to that the fact that many members have now invested in wedges of varying bounce to take out on the course depending solely on bunker condition and it is becoming costly!

But I know of any number of clubs nearby with similar issues. Bunkers, it seems, cost way more to maintain than most of us realise.
 

louise_a

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we have a large rock on our 9th hole, the hole is named after it...Giant Stone. It is even mentioned on old OS maps from before the course was built. Our bunkers thankfully are pretty stone free.
 
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