Niall
Now are you certain that you are using the right terminology by using the word ‘Bunkers’. Are you certain they are not sand traps or simply hazards.
As for the location of bunkers, sand traps or hazards where in the rule does it state that they must be seen. Perhaps the terminology needs to be changed as bunker seems to define easy while hazard and sand trap offer the poor golfer a slight hint that he could be heading for some problems. Shallow bunkers or winter Tees as they certainly offer no deterrent to a competent golfer.
Or are we saying that Bunkers are strategic while hazards and sand traps are penal. Or to confuse or to lull the golfer into a false sense of security we call them bunkers when in fact they are traps. Cunning ideas like that are devised by the deprived lowly associate in one of these big design practices hoping to get his name mentioned on the long list of also involved in the design .
Who knows - its only some form of statistics.
Melvyn
Melvyn
Note your comments but like Tom P I was referring to the man made sand pits where you aren't allowed to ground your club without penalty. As for all the other hazards, I'll save that for another thread (insert smiley here).
Sean, Ally,
Absolutely right, its generally the topography that influences the number of bunkers. No better illustration than Troon with its dune country out at the turn (8-13) having 14 bunkers and the remainder (holes 1-7 and 14-18) having 77.
Indeed when Braid did his bunkering scheme for Troons first Open in 1923 he reputedly added something like 80 bunkers with the 18th hole alone having 40 bunkers ( there's now ONLY 9). When Carnoustie had what I think was its first Open in the mid 30's they actually removed 50 bunkers. Again Braid was responsible for the complete redesign of the course ion the 1920's. When I think of Braid I don't generally think of loads of bunkers but I do think of flanking bunkers on both sides fairway and green. Just not a lot of them.
DT
Sean's right of course about the rough at Muirfield although like the gorse elsewhere its not really an obstacle. You generally go over obstacles or around them. The rough at Muirfield, like the rough at Dornoch really only comes into play when you've hit one out of the general playing corridor. I would have thought its generally bunkers which define strategy/degree of penalty within the playing corridor. And of course you are quite right, some bunkers do gather more than others but over the piece I'm assuming that would generally even out between courses.......unless of course you think one of those courses tends to have more gathering bunkers than some of the others ?
Niall