This quote by Sean Arble in another thread tied in with something that has been doing laps of my head since I played Worplesdon.
I think heathland courses are so loved because they almost naturally have the transitions (to the edges of the property or rough) already in place. All it takes is for the carers to keep the heather heathy and accept that for bunkers to work on these courses, they need to tie in with the heather somehow. There is such a stark difference when the bunkering is left starnded from heather on heathland courses as to when they are properly tied in.
I have been feeling since Sunday that while not ugly and certainly extremely functional, there was something about the bunkering at Worpy that didn't blend seemlessly with the general nature of the property.
Looking back through my pics of other heathland courses for comparison, I was struck by just how greatly the bunkering in the region varies, particularly when we are talking about courses very near to each other that were mostly built over 10 or 15 years by many of the same guys, who regularly worked together.
The rolled face bunker is certainly much more prevalent than I remembered, and I love the aged/distressed revetment you see here and there. That aged, mossy revetted face look just seems to match the character of those courses.
I'm interested to hear what others think about the best styles of bunkering present on the heathland, from the examples below and also from others I haven't played that I am sure will have something to bring to the party (Sunningdale, Woodhall Spa, St George's Hill, perhaps a few of the French heathland courses).
Is it as simple as lacing the bunker lips with heather? I am sure it isn't that easy or obvious, but that simple feature never seems to look out of place or "wrong". Why is that?
Is this perhaps one of those very crucisal areas where greenkeepers have a great deal of influence on the architecture?
In their ability to shape and scale bunkers in line with the character of the site and change their approach as the land dictates, is this where the absolute best identify themselves?
Alwoodley Lots of rolled faces, but the new work is more along flashed face lines.
Hankley Common very low profile bunkering - close to the ground.
New Zealand Maybe the best all-round bunkering effort on a heathland course? Only 50 of them, used so masterfully.
Swinley Forest Bond and full of character, much like the land.
The Addington Brutal, but gorgeous and generally of the flashed face variety.
The Berkshire Some serious mish-mash present. Interested to see what Tim Lobb does as there is definite room for refinement.
Walton Heath Just brilliant in terms of sizing, placement and scale IMO.
West Sussex A lot of new work going more to the flashed face style - I've heard many comparisons with Melbourne sandbelt.
Woking Seemed to pair bunkers crawling with heather with simpler rolled face traps and some flashed faces.
Worplesdon Lots of very clean lines and rolled faces.
