Oakland Hills Bunkering

[Mike_Cirba]

Was it my brother's television yesterday, or have Oakland Hills bunkers been "cleaned up" since the last time I saw them some years ago?

I've never played there, much less seen it in person, but I recall them looking rugged in the past, with almost an orangish hue to the sand that was rather natural looking.

The bunkers on display yesterday seemed to have an almost roundish quality to them, very formalized, with glaring white sand.  I hadn't been following the tournament at all, and I had to watch for quite a few minutes before I realized the course in question was Oakland Hills.  Does anyone know the scoop?

[Steve Lapper]

Mike,

I played there last fall for the 2nd time and indeed noticed the same as you. I inquired about it and was told they refilled many of the bunkers with a new and finer type of sand. It is considerably brighter white and was told the members liked the difference. I don't think any of the bunker shapes were altered.

Slap

[john b]

[imb]http://www.lostcanyons.com/home.htm[/img]

[Jeff Mingay]

Mike,

I was out there, at Oakland Hills, yesterday watching the championship match. The routing of that golf course and so many of the putting surfaces out there are so good -- there are a ton of great holes, including 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 (!), 10, 11 (!), 12, 14 (!), 15, and 17 (!).

But you're right, the bunkers have been rebuilt in recent years and didn't (in my humble opinion) come out very good. They're very, very sterile looking, perfectly edged and filled with glaring white sand. (They're simply not my style, which, in the grand scheme of things, is totally irrelevant!)

The fairway mowing patterns on many holes -- most notably the wonderful 11th -- are also "out of whack". In other words, there's some great native contour out there on the South Course covered with rough that's not being utilized.

But that's Oakland Hills South.

[Mike_Cirba]

Jeff;

What I'm starting to see, and what I really am bemoaning, is the HOMOGENIZATION of championship courses, which little by little seem to be losing their unique look and qualities.

When Oakland Hills appears visually identical in course features as "Generic Modern Course A", I can't help but feel we're losing something of value.  You've heard me cry when others in my area have done similar "standardized" work.

Does anyone know if an architect was responsible for the bunker "rebuild", or if it was done inhouse??

[Jeff Mingay]

Mike,

Arthur Hills was featured on a Detroit news program the other night as Oakland Hills' consulting architect.

[David Wigler]

Jeff is right.  What you saw was Art Hills bunker work.  Oakland is going to go through a major renovation over the next two years.  I just started a thread "Where is Rees or Fazio when you need them" about that topic.

[Mike_Cirba]

Isn't that special?