They got their revenge

[Mike_Cirba]

As someone who frequently and passionately participated in the critical discussions of Merion's bunkering changes a few years back, I thought a few of you might get a kick out of the fact that I just spent the day buried in them.

All told, I was in two fairway bunkers and eight greenside bunkers.   One of my playing partners lost two balls in the grassy faces in the first seven holes.

My legs are sore from climbing, but I certainly can laugh at myself enough to see the irony in the situation.    

[Bill Brightly]

I guess the pictures will be posted shortly???
 

[Mike_Cirba]

I guess the pictures will be posted shortly???
 

Bill,

I'll have to ask my generous host.  

I think I ruined his round today taking them.  

And obviously my own, as well.  

Dammit...I think that Shivas was almost right!  

[Adam Clayman]

Mike, Did you find the clumpy nature of the grass to be overly penal and un-recoverable?
 Or, Did you deserve your fate when found said clumps?

[mike_malone]

 I love the consistency of the sand there.

[Dan Kelly]

One of my playing partners lost two balls in the grassy faces in the first seven holes.

And was he yelling those most execrable words in golf: "Get in the bunker!"?

Seriously: What is the case for ball-losing grass around bunkers?

[JSlonis]

To be honest, during the Philly Open this year, I found the gnarly grassed faces around some of the bunkers to be overly penal.  Despite my poor play, I only had one odd situation with a bunker face on #18, but my playing partners had a few more.  One nearly lost a ball about 2-3 steps from the right edge of the 3rd green.  We ended up finding it, but he had to take an unplayable lie.  Meanwhile, my awful skanked long iron that missed right of the right bunker by 10 yards was in much better shape.

The severity of the penalty when missing a green by a couple steps compared to the severity of missing a green by 10-20 yards doesn't add up.

I absolutely love Merion, it's difficult to find anything to complain about, but these bunker surrounds are the only thing on the entire course that I don't understand. I'd be surprised if the current conditions of the bunker surrounds were the same come US Open time...Unless, perhaps given the shortish nature of the course, the severity of these surrounds will be thought of as an added defense.  Personally, I think the course can hold it's own without this feature.

[Mike_Cirba]

Adam/Dan,

I think I would agree with Jamie's assessment and he states it quite well.  

I'm generally a guy who says, hey, it's a hazard, deal with it or keep it out of there.

However, I'm not sure the death penalty is proportionate to the crime.    Frankly, I also think they look better when the faces are cut short, although I'm sure that adds to the maintenance expense.

[Michael Moore]

And was he yelling those most execrable words in golf: "Get in the bunker!"?

There are many, many bunkers in the world whose purpose is to prevent a ball from going into further trouble. I learned this from Robert Trent Jones, Jr.'s book Golf by Design.

Recently, I implored a double-cross at the Portsmouth Country Club's third hole to "get in the bunker" so that it might avoid continuing on into Great Bay.