I am a keen advocate of fairway bunkers. These date back to the 19th Century with many reports (as I have mentioned previously) of bunkers being located and constructed some months after the course was formally opened.
The basis of this was to calculate where Members tended to take their shots, by the result of divots. Noting the proximity and clustering of said divots, the bunkers where then built. I think this practice started to disappear by the time of the Golden Age designers believed that some of them had became the authority on golf design. Bunkers were not the only hazards but just one weapon in the designer’s arsenal.
[Also, ball travel was somewhat less back in those days so the hazards were far more effective. That’s the penalty of not properly controlling technology - a thought, did the game advance because of improved technology being translated into the ability of ball travel or should technology be used just to maintain the quality of equipment with no additional improvement in ball travel. I say yes to advancement in the use of modern materials but not at the cost of the ball travelling longer. IMHO, balls travel should be rated to the pre 1900 balls to maintain stability and continuity. We just can’t keep lengthening our courses].
Control of the ball in part dictates the hazards. No controls, then Greens become a WW1 Trench Bunker mentality or for me the hated island Greens (thanks to the evil of these types of water hazards).
Whilst not taking any real control of the game, have we allowed the overpopulation of bunkers around Greens? I believe the answer may go hand in glove with the long ball, to resolve one we have to address the other problem.
Why are stonewalls not used more often in preference to bunkers, maybe the wall can be more penal if the ball comes to rest near the wall which still may be the best part of a 200M plus from the pin. I fear the main reason is a lack of Will from both golfers and their governing bodies. Whilst easy appears to be acceptable today, the enjoyment in the past was generated by the hazards. Has our game really changed that much? I feel it has without anyone really noticing, the question does anyone really care anymore.
Let’s not forget that Golf is a game and golfers want to play. It is not meant to be a simple/easy walk or drive in the park. In addition, hazards are as much part of the game as clubs and the humble ball.
Melvyn