[Philip Spogard]

Does anyone have some old photos showing some of the early ragged edge heathland bunkers found in the UK around 1900 - 1930. E.g. at Sunningdale?

It might inspire Greens Committees to re-introduce them!

Thanks,
Philip

[Ally Mcintosh]

It would be great if people could help Philip out here...

...No better man to be doing that persuading

[Mark_Rowlinson]

This is worthwhile, so bump....

[Norbert P]

Woking



Taken from Ran's own course profile pages.   

More to look at . . .

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/woking1.html

[Ally Mcintosh]

Slag,

Woking are already doing good work via the hand of Course Manager George Ritchie and Architect Martin Ebert...

Philip is looking for old photos from the first years of the last century... I am assuming that this is so he can try and persuade some of the old Heathland Clubs to restore a certain look to their bunkers (and courses in general) that many of them have lost over the years...

[Rich Goodale]

To me, that Woking bunker that Slag posted is no better than Muirhead's "Jaws" bunkers at Stone Harbor.  That heather is even worse than eye candy because it covers over lovely rolling ground that could be used to integrate rather than separate the bunker and the green.  Pleae don't recreate bunkers like that, Phillip.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I tend to agree with you on that one Rich... I think the placement of the bunker is great but where there is heather, it looks much better when it ties in to the sides of the course...

I suspect Philip is less on about re-establishing the heather and more on about recreating images like this one of the 5th at the New course in Sunningdale:

[Ally Mcintosh]

From Tom MacWood's essay, Sunningdale Old:

[Ally Mcintosh]

The Berkshire:

[Philip Spogard]

Hi Ally,

You are pretty spot on. It would be great to re-introduce the style to the heathland golf courses where it has been lost. Maybe the time has finally come as the 'look' seems to have become more popular/acceptable among the top rated clubs.

I am more looking for photos from the really early days. There are a few from the Berkshire and a couple found in various books, like e.g. The Centurions.

I was just wandering if anyone knew of good websites, collections, books, etc. that might help me to illustrate the early style bunkering.

(I know some clubs have archives where I might find some).

Philip

[Philip Spogard]

Rich / Ally.

I actually believe that the bunker on Woking's 3rd hole is THE best positioned greenside bunker in golf! It is so well positioned in regard to the approach.

(But maybe that is because the green is extremely small as well - it makes the bunker that much more influential.)

[Rich Goodale]

Phillip

I agree that the positioning of the bunker is great (based on the photo).  However, the heather surrounding the sand seems to seriously diminish its function.  Try to imagine what it would be like with closely mown tie ins between the fairway, the bunker and the green, fully utilising all of the fantastic contours that seem to exist.  By chucking heather around the edges of the bunker one makes the hazard simple and plodding, rather than complex and stirring.  I prefer the latter, mais chacun a son gout.....

Richard aka Parodi

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