Archies:Are Bunker Depths Random?

[Ed_Baker]

To our resident Architects:

What are your thoughts on bunker depths? We have had lengthy dicussions on placement, but what considerations in the design faze are given to bunker depths after placement has been established?

Are depths as important as placement? Should greenside bunkers always be deeper than fairway bunkers?

Have any of you actually changed a bunker location because of construction problems (hidden ledge) to accomodate a preconceived depth?

[Roger]

I am not an architect, but I'll comment anyway. I don't see the point in shallow bunkers. They do not punish a golfer who hits a stray shot. In fact, their only purpose seems to be to slow a ball from running into trouble/rough. I think a good bunker should necessitate an excellent shot to reward a golfer. There should also be a bit of luck involved in where you land in a bunker, seen as you shouldn't be there in the first place, in an ideal world, that is.

I know maybe the issue here is natural depth for keeping sand etc....

[Jeremy_Glenn.]

Ed,

I personnally have no preconceived preference.  I would make a bunker deep or shallow, depending on:

a) what works functionally.
b) what looks best.

Shot value isn't  a big consideration (mainly because those "values" depend on the golfer).

[Art_Schaupeter]

There are a few general principles that I try to follow, from which the bunker depths evolve.  Greenside bunkers tend to be deeper than fairway bunkers for one because the recovery shot is with a more lofted club.  The depth of the bunker is a function of the type of recovery shot that can be played, the size of the bunker, the existing topography of the hole or hole features as well as the severity of the hazard you are trying to create.  This should be related to other spatial issues like the amount of run-up room, the length of the hole or shot, the location of the bunker relative to the green position, etc.  When all the the factors relating to the strategy of the hole are put together, the bunker depth starts to develop relative to the severity of the hazard desired.  The existing topography will also dictate bunker depth to a degree.  Deeper bunkers might feel more natural on an undulating piece of ground, whereas on a floodplain site bunkers might tend towards the shallower end of the scale.