Pat
No, I do not believe that strategy is absolute, regardless of form, as I do not believe that form is devoid of function. Remember, I said there is an overlap and it’s a matter of degree. That was the only point that I was trying to make. If you don’t see any truth in that, then there’s nothing you can do or say to sway my opinion, so I would suggest not wasting any more of your time trying as this will be my last attempt as well.
Of course, if you think that strategy is nothing more than hitting the fairways, missing the hazards, getting on the greens and getting the ball into the holes, then that would certainly explain why we are unable to come to terms on this.
I think one of the problems with this point I’m trying to make, and I was guilty of this myself when I made the suggestion of visualizing PV with sanitized bunkers, is that you can’t assume that you can just change the bunker style without changing its physical characteristics and, therefore, its function. This is not possible. Just think about converting the deep sod-walled greenside road hole bunker to a rough and rugged edged bunker; to achieve the same depth, the bunker would have to be made much larger, whereas to achieve the same diameter, the bunker would have to be much shallower, and in either case the flashed-sand face would change the function as well. So two identically located bunkers with different styles may have identical functions from your perspective, but from my perspective and in reality they can and will have different functions to some degree, with a direct relationship between the degree of change in form and the degree of change in function. I am not advocating a particular style of bunker, as I personally find a number of different styles appealing. I am merely addressing the issue of whether strategy is absolute, or whether form has an impact thereon. From my perspective, form and function are very much intertwined and, therefore, form and strategy are obviously as well. Perhaps it would be correct to state that the location of the bunker warrants more weight than its form when assessing strategy, but to say that its form bears no weight at all in assessing strategy makes no sense at all from my perspective.
So I post the following example in support of that proposition:
A special note of thanks to Tommy Naccarato for making this example possible!
The function of the form in the altered 2nd photo is not identical to the function of the form in the unaltered 1st photo and, therefore, they have different impacts on strategy (i.e., I am much more likely to attack a pin tucked right behind the bunker in the 2nd photo (pre-shot psychology/strategy), and I am much more likely to be affected psychologically by the bunker in the 1st photo (in-shot psychology/strategy). Of course there are some differences between the two bunkers from a physical perspective, but isn’t that critical to achieve the “look”? Even if the surrounds were identical, to achieve the “look” of the 1st bunker you have to flash the face and grass the surrounds differently, not just rough up the edge of the sand, all of which changes the function!
BTW#1: With respect to your snake analogy, since some snakes (bunkers) are more lethal than others, wouldn’t an expert in snakes (bunkers) treat a poisonous snake (bunker) with a greater degree of respect?
BTW#2: I hate snakes, regardless of whether or not they are poisonous. I don’t like to get anywhere near them. In fact, I don’t even like to look at them from afar. Consequently, I personally abhor your analogy of bunkers to snakes, given my high regard for the art form of the bunker hazard and my belief that its strategic purpose in the architectural presentation is not just to be avoided at all costs, but to be skirted, sometimes quite closely, in order to place your ball in a more advantageous position for the remaining play of the hole. Sounds like the difference between the penal and strategic schools of golf course architecture!
BTW#3: Yes, I do divert my attention to the pond, flowers and grass from time to time as a way to stay relaxed, thereby increasing my ability to perform to my mind’s eye. Perhaps you should try it some time.
BTW#4: It’s time to walk my dog!