Is the fairway bunker on #6 at Bandon Trails unfair?

[Ted Cahill]

An earlier post raised the issue of speed slots, a design feature I love. It got me to thinking about #6 at BT. If you carry the target bunker you can see from the tee (requires a pretty good poke) you are rewarded with a nice speed slot. Except, there is a small pot bunker ( blind from the tee) that the slot funnels toward. Is this an unfair outcome?  Or is it a clever "bait and switch" design feature?  BTW, I love the hole and simply want to spark a discussion.

[Michael Dugger]

I've seen many balls go in there.

I think it's fine.

The play is directly over the left edge of the target bunker you can see on the hill.  Lots of room out to the left.

Shoot, my buddy, who isn't exactly Bubba Watson or Dustin Johnson, popped one 360 yds on that hole.  I don't care what angle you've got into the green, when your approach shot is only about 50 yards you've done quite well for yourself.

Regarding that bunker, you need to play the hole once to understand.  Then it's a non issue.  Quite obviously you can't go to the right of the target bunker or the ground will feed your ball into the other.

You can still gain a lot of extra roll off the backside of that hill by going left.  A low ripped fade would be even better.

[Peter_Herreid]

I think the first time one plays that hole the centerline fairway bunker that cannot be seen from the tee can be considered unfair.  Not everyone desires, or can afford, to take a caddy that can alert one to that possibility, and even then getting a feel for the shot required NOT to get in that unseen bunker is really tough the first time one is playing BT.

After that, though, now knowing the unseen is there, I think it becomes a great feature that is no longer unfair, and must be dealt with.  The speed slot on that hole is really between that unseen bunker and the huge waste area right, and that speed slot is so incredibly narrow as to make it a lucky crap shoot, really.

The true "speed slot" on that hole is one that allows the shorter player to take a modest club and lay one down the hill short left in the fairway for a fairly flat lie, even though one might then be using the same club, or close to it, off the tee and on the approach.

[Michael Huber]

How far is the fairway bunker from the tee? 

[William_G]

No it's not unfair, but if you don't know it's there, then it would be unlucky. Wish I was playing there today instead of sitting at the office, LOL.

[Michael Dugger]

How far is the fairway bunker from the tee? 

It's right in the landing area.  If playing from the appropriate tees for your skill level, a well hit driver is going to clear the crest of the hill and bound forward.

If this well hit driver is heading to the right side of the target bunker, the ground seems to magnetically pull balls into the hidden bunker.  It's quite steep from the waste area right on down to that bunker.  Combine the slope with the quick Bandon fescue and the hidden bunker is a bona-fide trap. 

Only a truly crushed drive is going to get past the hidden bunker...Matt Ward could probably do it.   

[Ted Cahill]

Nice observations. Part of my motive for this post (besides discussing BT, a topic that interests me like Merion does for others) was I was feeling appropriately scolded by Ran's post about indulging in OT posts. Wanted to do my part to steer it back to GCA. More Bandon topics work for me!