[Patrick_Mucci]

run its course ?

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, did many architects and/or courses began introducing plantings/vegetation into the body of their bunkers over the last 20 or so years to replicate the feel of Pine Valley, Merion and other courses with this feature ?

Has that trend come to an end ?

Do plantings/vegetation have any place within the interior of a bunker ?

Do they create maintainance difficulties ?

Problems with rulings ?

Can a case be made to retain them ?

Can a case be made to get rid of them ?

[Bradley Anderson]

Patrick,

The original man made bunkers were sometimes grassed vegatatively, with grass plugs, spaced a foot or so apart, and seed scattered in between the plugs. This method was used in areas where we might use sod today. I think it was developed first in the heathlands, and then brought here. Some of these people placed plugs inside of a bunker and it grew. And then they decided that they liked the effect of that. Maybe they thought that it made the hazard more intimidating? Maybe they thought that it made the hazard look more natural?

So I don't think you will ever see the end of it like you do with fads. I think just as then, you will see people making the same experiments. So it will reappear somewhere else until someone decides they don't like it and it's removed. And then 100 years later it will make another appearance, who knows, in the same bunker.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Pat,

I hope so. They aren't as offensive in 'waste areas' but they really don't belong in a bunker.

[cary lichtenstein]

I kind of like them if they are maintained to so that lies are manageable and reasonable shots can be made.

I remember my 1st encounter with Iceplant and how I fluffed the shot. I practiced off that stuff and enjoyed hitting off it the next time I encountered it.

Did with 1/2 grass and 1/2 sand lies, once you know how they play and the technique needed, it become another challenge.

What I hate are lost balls in sand traps. Once I hit the side of a green, one big bounce to the right into this 4 foot high stuff, never found the ball, had to go back to the tee, tied up the entire golf course, got a 2 shot penalty and I didn't hit a bad shot.

[Sean Leary]

The Yucca plants at Prairie Dunes look cool and play shitty...

[C. Squier]

The Yucca plants at Prairie Dunes look cool and play shitty...

They do have the tendency to attract golf balls.  A player only tries to play out of them once....they aren't particularly forgiving plants.

[Jaeger Kovich]

There are plantings in the right greenside bunker of the short hole at Old MacDonald. Tom seemed to have no intention of changing it either when I asked.

[Joe Hancock]

How many bunkers at Merion have some sort of vegetation in them? Does it make any difference as the whether it is a good thing or not based on how many years said vegetation has been in place?

I agree that in some cases, internal bunker vegetation can look terrific, but often plays tacky.

Joe

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