It seems that all too often, strips of rough intervene between the fairway and bunkers, preventing balls that are rolling toward the bunkers from entering them.
I've also noticed that many clubs have these same strips just prior to water hazards. These are not strips of rough caused by maintainance problems, but deliberate, broad buffers, whose purpose is the ensnarement of a golf ball.
A safety net, if you will.
It seems, that in the UK, the opposite occurs.
That the grass is mown tightly, right up to the hazard.
I know of clubs that deliberately inserted these features.
At a recent green committee meeting that I attended, a proposal was put forth, that the greens be mowed right up to the bunkers such that balls would not be saved by the grass, but would continue their journey into the bunker.
Several greens at NGLA have this feature, which I favor.
Have the "FAIRNESS" features outlived their usefullness ?
Is it time to return to the game when maintainance features weren't allowed to frustrate the intended architecture and strategic importance of bunkers and other hazards ?